


I May Fall

by TheBlueshiftNebula



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Broken Bones, Caretaking, Fever, Gen, Hurt Hunk (Voltron), Hurt Shiro (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Infection, Missions Gone Wrong, Platonic Relationships, Protective Hunk (Voltron), Role Reversal, stranded on a planet, talking about feelings, wound cauterization
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24727798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlueshiftNebula/pseuds/TheBlueshiftNebula
Summary: After a mission gone wrong, Hunk and Shiro find themselves stuck on a deserted alien planet. They soon discover the planet is marked for destruction by the Galra, and must work together to contact the others. Despite their injuries, Hunk is hopeful that they'll be rescued before the Galra find them.So when things start to get even worse, Hunk is unprepared for the role he must take to keep both himself and Shiro alive.
Relationships: Hunk & Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 50
Kudos: 92





	1. There’s a place where our shields will lay shattered

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so happy this story is finally finished!! I've had this idea for a while now...I just want to see more of Hunk and Shiro working together!! The tags make it seem very dark, but it's not that bad, I promise. I just love me some suffering and bonding.
> 
> Shoutout as always to my two amazing betas, Yu and [Mumblingcanadian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mumblingcanadian) for helping me see this through to the end. I couldn't have done it without both of you <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

_"All ships, dock and prepare for hyperjump.”_

Shiro's head snapped up at the announcement, eyes going wide behind his visor. Hunk paused halfway through typing on the ship’s console, his brain grinding to a halt. "Did that say....hyperjump?"

"Pidge—" Shiro started, but was cut off when Pidge's voice rang through the comms.

_"I don't know! There was no indication in their communications that they'd be doing a hyperjump!"_

_"So what do we do?!"_ Lance this time, his voice echoing the panic Hunk was feeling.

 _“We need to get off the ship!”_ Keith yelled, his voice loud in Hunk's helmet, and Hunk couldn't help but nod furiously in agreement.

There was silence on the comms as they waited for Shiro to make the call. Hunk's hands still hovered over the holographic keyboard, unsure whether to continue or not. He was nearly done with the data transfer, but he needed another full minute, maybe even two. Shiro’s brow furrowed in concentration, not looking at Hunk, his arm still powered up on the console between them.

"Pidge," he said, all calm and authority, "how close are you to being done?"

 _“Another few ticks and I'm there,”_ she replied. _"But without the data from your console, this whole trip was pointless!”_

"Okay," Shiro said, mostly to himself. He turned to Hunk expectantly.

"I need at least another few minutes," Hunk said, dread creeping up his spine. If only there had been one console, like there always was on Galra warships. If only this wasn't a stupid, newly designed ship with the information split between two control centers. If only Hunk had paid more attention in Montgomery's programming class, maybe he'd be done by now. Or maybe—

"Alright," Shiro said, nodding to Hunk. "Pidge, Lance, Keith, the second you're done, get to the Green Lion and _go_. Hunk will transfer the data to you once he's done."

 _“But you won't make it back before the ship jumps!”_ Pidge yelled.

"We'll figure something out," Shiro responded, and Hunk marveled yet again about how in control Shiro could be, even as their plan fell apart. "We'll focus on getting you the data. In the meantime, you three need to escape."

There was more protesting from Pidge, joined by Lance and Keith, but Shiro wasn't listening. "Hunk, we're on a bit of a schedule now," Shiro said calmly.

"Right." Hunk turned back to the console, typing as fast as he could despite his shaking hands. God, he couldn't do this. What if they didn't get the data to Pidge on time? What if the ship jumped to another solar system and they were stranded? The possibilities swarmed in Hunk's head, soon becoming a jumbled mess.

"We're ok." Hunk thought Shiro was talking to Pidge at first, until he looked over and saw Shiro's eyes on him. "Just focus on the task at hand. We'll be out of here before you know it."

"Right. Yeah. No problem." Hunk went back to typing, and though Shiro's aura of calm was sometimes annoying, right now it felt like a blanket on top of Hunk's nervous energy. "Just typing out a program I know almost nothing about on an alien ship about to transport us to literally anywhere in the galaxy. Cool, no pressure."

Shiro made a sound suspiciously like a snort, and despite the chaos around them, Hunk felt slightly more at ease.

Just slightly.

 _“We're at the Green Lion,”_ came Pidge's frazzled voice through their helmets. " _What's your status?”_

"Almost there!" Hunk called out, feeling triumphant despite the hard knot of anxiety in his stomach. "Now I just have to...."

Punching in the last command, he saw Pidge's icon dance on the screen before whooshing away.

 _“I got it!”_ Pidge exclaimed.

"Good work, team." The console in front of Hunk went dark as Shiro dropped his hand. "Now _go.”_

 _“What about_ —"

"There's no time!" Shiro yelled, cutting off her protest. "The ship is about to jump. We can't have the Green Lion on board when it happens. You three need to move, now!"

There was a short second of silence before Keith spoke up, his voice steely with determination. _“He's right. We'll see you guys soon.”_

Shiro sighed in relief. Turning to Hunk, he nodded. "Let's go."

"Where are we even going?!" Hunk exclaimed, letting the holographic keyboard in front of him fade.

"We'll figure it out on the way."

Hunk nodded, some of the anxiety easing at Shiro’s confident tone, even if it was completely ridiculous. At least if he was going to be stuck on an enemy ship, it was with Shiro.

With that, they headed toward the door–

–only to be met by a sentry patrol, their weapons raised.

Shiro skidded to a stop, and Hunk barely managed to avoid plowing into him.

" **Prisoner 117-9875,** " the sentry intoned. " **Surrender immedia—** "

Before it had a chance to finish, Shiro was on them like a lightning strike. He punched through the first sentry, his Galra hand glowing violet as he caved in its chest. The other raised its weapon, only to be shot by a blast of yellow.

Hunk lowered his bayard, surveying the destruction. "So much for not being discovered," he said, mentally priding himself on keeping his voice steady despite the hard hammering of his heart.

Just then, the comms crackled again, Pidge's voice ringing through their helmets. _“We're out! What about you?”_

"They know we're on board," Shiro reported, tension leaking into his voice.

Shiro looked down at his Galra arm, but Hunk couldn't make out his expression. The sentries had used Shiro’s prison number. Had the arm alerted the Galra to their presence?

"Alright," Shiro said after a moment, not looking at Hunk. "We need to—"

Before he could finish, the ship gave a sudden lurch.

They were both thrown forward with the force of it, Hunk landing on his hands and knees.

The hyperjump.

Realistically, Hunk had known they wouldn't get out in time. But it didn't stop the cold grip of fear from locking around his heart.

The ship continued to rock for a few more ticks before stabilizing, though Hunk's stomach didn't quite get the memo. He groaned softly as it protested the sudden change.

Looking up, he saw Shiro still standing, who looked over his shoulder. "You alright?"

Huffing, Hunk got to his feet. "I'm good. But what the heck are we gonna do now?"

Shiro nodded, looking back down the hall. "We need to get to the hangar. Steal a ship, then get out of here when they drop out of the jump."

"Yeah, sure, sounds super easy," Hunk deadpanned. "Do you even know how to fly a Galra ship?"

"If I said yes, would you believe me?"

"Oh my god," Hunk muttered. "We're going to die."

"We're not going to die," Shiro shot back. "Probably."

With that, Shiro took off without letting Hunk respond.

They were definitely going to die.

Miraculously, they managed to make their way to the hangar without encountering more than a handful of sentries, which Shiro took down with ease. He was a blur of white and blinding purple light, moving so quickly that Hunk could only see the afterimage of his Galra hand as it cut burning arcs through the sentries. It was almost graceful, despite the destruction left behind.

By the time they busted into one of the larger, two-person Galra fighters, Hunk has started to believe they just might make it out after all. Despite his earlier misgivings of Shiro's ability to fly a random ship, Hunk figured getting it up and moving would be the least of their concerns. Plus, for a guy who'd never flown this type of ship, Shiro looked pretty comfortable, flipping switches and pushing buttons in a way that Hunk could only assume was correct.

Not long after, the warship made another sickeningly lurch as it dropped out of hyperjump. Hunk and Shiro shared a look that could only be described as _hopeful_. Were they really going to make it out of here in one piece?

Just as Hunk's optimism began to flare to life, the whole hangar turned red.

For a moment, Hunk could only stare out the window as the red faded, then reappeared. It was difficult to hear through the thick walls of their commandeered ship, but he could just barely make out yelling with the shrill sound of what could only be an alarm.

"Oh man," Hunk groaned, the optimism from earlier dying out as quickly as it appeared. "I legitimately don't know how this could get any worse."

"We could still be in the hyperjump," Shiro offered unhelpfully. He gestured to another set of controls behind the pilot’s seat. "Take the guns. Looks like we're blasting our way out."

"Naturally," Hunk replied dryly as he moved behind Shiro to the weapon controls. All around them, Hunk could see Galra soldiers sprinting across the hangar, while others pointed guns at their ship.

"Uh, Shiro?" Hunk called, the cold fear from earlier making a sudden return as the soldiers around them started firing. "We should probably consider going soon?" The ship rocked with the force of the blasts. "Or like, _now?!”_

In front of him, Hunk could see Shiro's hands flying over the controls before finally slamming a lever forward. The ship rose suddenly while the alarm was still blaring, the red lights of the hangar reflecting off of the armor of the Galra soldiers. Another unsteady jerk, and they were in motion.

Very, very fast motion.

"Hunk," Shiro called through gritted teeth. "You ready?"

Seeing how quickly the door to the hangar was approaching, it seemed like Hunk didn't have a choice. He still hadn't quite figured out the weapons system, but he'd heard Pidge talk about them enough to hopefully have some idea which button did which. Searching the controls in front of him, Hunk hit what he could only hope was the button for "blow up the hangar doors."

There was a split second delay, where Hunk truly thought they were about to die in a kamikaze blaze of glory in front of a hundred Galra soldiers. Then, the guns came to life and the doors exploded outwards.

Not a second too soon, as their ship shot out into open space.

Hunk almost breathed a sigh of relief, until the proximity alarm showed multiple ships on their tail.

Shiro took a deep breath. "We need to get out of here as fast as we can. Can I count on you for the weapons? We need to shake these ships."

Hunk blinked down at the control panel in front of him. Shooting out the hangar doors was one thing; shooting down an entire Galra fleet was another.

But it was either this or get blown to bits in the middle of some unknown galaxy.

"Sure, yeah, I'll uh....figure it out."

Shiro barked a laugh. Even in the midst of this life and death battle, the sound once again eased some of the anxiety in Hunk's chest. "That's all I can ask for."

With that, Shiro gunned it.

They were far enough away from the warship for Hunk to take a moment to assess the situation: they had dropped out of the hyperjump just outside of a planet, nearly the size of Earth. At first glance, it looked a lot like Earth too, though it was covered by significantly more green.

It wasn't long, though, until the other fighters caught up with them.

For a while, Hunk really thought they would make it. Despite claiming to have never flown a Galra ship, Shiro's flying was as impressive as Hunk had come to expect. He weaved through the ships that overtook them, giving Hunk enough time to trial and error his way through the weapons system. Between the two of them, Hunk really thought they had a chance.

But no matter how good Shiro's flying was, or how quickly Hunk was able to shoot down their pursuers, the end result was inevitable.

A shot from a fighter Hunk couldn't take down hit their wing, sending them into a sickening spiral. A spiral which flung them into the gravity of the planet.

Shiro muttered a curse as he fought with the controls, alarms in the cockpit screaming as they got sucked into the planet's atmosphere. Galran symbols were flashing in angry, urgent pulses across the screen, and Hunk could only hope they were saying something about airbags. Or maybe ejecting.

The planet's gravity took hold of them quickly, and Hunk knew it was a lost cause. All Shiro could do was try to make sure they crashed without being scattered into tiny pieces on the surface.

"This is gonna get rough," Shiro warned him. Hunk couldn't help but scoff, even as fear exploded in his chest and rose up through his throat, threatening to choke him. If only he'd listened to Pidge more carefully when she was talking about how to hack the console on the ship, he could have moved more quickly. Or even if he'd paid more attention when Coran was explaining how Galra weapons work. Or if Lance had been the one stranded here with Shiro instead Hunk, who could have shot down every ship out of the sky. Or if—

His thoughts were cut off as the ship started to shake so hard he felt his skull rattle. It hit him in that moment just what they were doing: flying a stolen alien ship, about to crash on some random planet in outer space, with only one working wing on said stolen alien ship—

Hunk was pretty sure he was going to be sick.

"Hang on!" Shiro yelled as they broke the cloud cover, and before Hunk could scream about how much of a terrible idea this entire mission had been, the ground was rising up to meet them.

* * *

When Hunk came to, sprawled out on his stomach, the first thing he saw was the flower in front of him. It was a bright, vibrant purple with wide, spread out petals. Streaks of yellow started at its center, spreading up the petals like sunlight. It was beautiful.

It was also the size of his head.

Groaning, Hunk looked up, away from the giant flower, only to find that _giant_ was the theme of this planet.

They'd crashed into a dense forest, with trees so tall Hunk couldn’t see the leaves on the top. The leaves on the lower branches—the only ones Hunk could see from behind his scratched up visor—were easily the size of his entire body. For a moment, Hunk could only gape at the massive size of the foliage. Sunlight streamed weakly through the gaps in the leaves, giving the entire area an eerie feeling of twilight.

Turning his head, Hunk saw that everything was easily ten times the size of anything Hunk had ever seen.

The wreckage of their ship was strewn across the forest floor, smoking debris scattered in pieces. It was a miracle they'd even survived the landing. Hunk was glad it had been Shiro at the controls, at least.

The thought jolted him back to reality.

 _Shiro_. Where was he?

Lifting himself up with his arms, Hunk made to sit up—

—only to cry out as white hot pain traveled up his leg.

His arms shook, and he ended up face planting back into the dirt. Now that he was paying attention, the pain finally registered. His stomach tingled, like he had a rug burn, and his whole body felt beat to hell. But the all consuming pain that demanded his attention was undoubtedly at his leg, like burning hot embers had replaced his blood.

He grit his teeth, pressing his face into the dirt as he tried not to scream. Some part of his brain that was still rational told him he needed to _move_ , needed to assess the damage, but he couldn't bring himself to look.

"Hunk!"

A strained voice was suddenly calling him, and when Hunk looked back up, he saw Shiro stumbling toward him. Hunk wanted to ask if he was ok, but when he opened his mouth, another strangled cry came out instead.

Shiro made his way over quickly, slipping a bit in the uneven dirt. Before Hunk knew it, Shiro was kneeling in front of him, eyes wide behind his cracked visor. "Hunk, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Hunk could barely answer, fists curled so tightly he thought his gloves would rip open. "My—my leg."

Shiro sucked in a sharp breath. "Alright. I'm gonna need to roll you on your back, ok? Can you do that for me?"

Hunk wanted to say no, that he was never moving again if it meant a reprieve from the agony, but he knew that didn't make any sense. He gave Shiro a quick, jerky nod.

Shiro gripped Hunk's shoulder tightly, and Hunk tried to focus on that instead. "On three, ok?"

Hunk could only nod again. He knew if he opened his mouth again, he'd just start screaming.

"One...two...three!" Shiro pushed, and Hunk did his best to move with the momentum. The movement jostled his injured leg, and he couldn't suppress another cry.

"I know, I'm sorry, I know." Shiro was murmuring reassurances, moving to Hunk's leg. Sweat was pouring down Hunk's face, eyes squeezed shut as the pain continued. The burning from before felt less like embers and more like acid, as if the bone was being melted. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

Hunk wasn't looking at his leg, or at Shiro. He knew if he looked down, he'd probably be sick.

There was a tense moment where Shiro didn't speak, and the only noise Hunk could make out was his own ragged breathing. In, out. In, out. In out in out in out in—

He only realized he'd been hyperventilating when Shiro murmured a soft "Breathe, Hunk."

Sucking in another unsteady breath, Hunk held it for a moment before letting it out in a sharp exhale. It took enormous effort to control his breathing, but it gave him a small distraction from the pain.

"I think your leg is broken," Shiro said calmly. Hunk tried to let his voice anchor him. "But we can't deal with it here. We had a dozen fighters on our tail when we crashed. We need to get away from the wreckage."

Hunk let out another shaking exhale, trying to absorb what Shiro was saying. Get away from the wreckage...there was almost no way he could do that.

Before Hunk could protest, Shiro was at his side. "We need to get as far away as we can." He touched Hunk's arm gently, as if afraid of hurting him further. "I know it seems impossible, but we can't stay here. I'll help you up, but then we need to go."

Logically, Hunk knew Shiro was right. But there was a part of Hunk that wanted the Galra to come and shoot him if it meant the pain would stop. Swallowing hard, he gave Shiro another nod.

"Alright, let's go." Shiro was still so calm, somehow, but Hunk could make out a slight shake to his voice. Shiro pulled Hunk's arm around his shoulder, and without further hesitation, hauled them both up.

There was a moment where Hunk didn't feel anything at all. The blood was rushing from his head at the sudden feeling of being upright, and he instinctively tried to put weight on his injured leg.

Then the pain came roaring back, and Hunk _screamed_.

Shiro tightened his hold on his arm, giving Hunk soft apologies before moving them forward.

Hunk couldn't put any weight on his broken leg without black spots splattering across his vision. There were tears on his face, and he was alternating between sobs of pain and pleas to Shiro to make it stop, make it _stop_. He knew it was a miracle that they were even moving. Hunk soon stopped noticing the surroundings, using all of his energy to continue their slow pace forward.

Time lost all meaning as they continued on, moving so slowly that Hunk wasn't even sure they were moving at all. Shiro didn't stop talking the entire time, telling Hunk how he was doing so well, that they were nearly there, that everything would be alright. Normally, Hunk might have been embarrassed at falling apart in front of his leader, but there was no room for anything other than the throbbing, gut-wrenching pain.

He didn't know how long they went on before he broke.

Tears were still streaming down his face as Shiro stumbled again, sending new waves of burning pain through him. "Please, Shiro, I can't—I can't, we need to stop, _please_ —"

"Alright, I know, ok." Shiro maneuvered them to one of the giant trees of the forest, slowly lowering Hunk against it. Shiro's face was pale, full of concern and guilt. "I'm so sorry, Hunk. I need to look at your leg now, ok?"

Hunk could only whimper in response.

Shiro took a deep breath, removing the armor on Hunk’s leg as gently as he could, reaching around the back and unclasping the mechanism behind the knee, pulling it off carefully. Fresh shock waves of pain made their way up Hunk's leg, and he dug his nails into the dirt to avoid screaming again.

He could feel Shiro's hands assessing the damage, but he still couldn't bring himself to watch. There was the sound of tearing, and for an irrational moment Hunk thought it was coming from his own skin. But no—Shiro was ripping open the leg of his undersuit.

There was a small sigh of relief as Shiro took in the damage. "It didn't pierce the skin." His hands roamed over Hunk’s leg, clearly trying to be gentle, but even the soft touch was sending sparks of pain through his nerves. "But I still need to assess the damage."

Hunk looked back over at Shiro, still pointedly avoiding looking at his leg. "O—okay," Hunk replied, trying to get his breathing under control.

"Hunk," Shiro said softly, lightly touching either side of his leg, "if you think you're going to pass out, just do it."

That was reassuring.

Lips pressed tightly together, Shiro nodded to himself. "Alright, here goes."

As soon as he began to move his leg, Hunk saw those black spots again. Only this time, he let them take over his vision completely, and the pain finally, _finally_ faded as Hunk passed out.

* * *

When Hunk woke, the pain was still there, but it didn't consume him like it did before. Instead of a fire burning him from the inside, it was more of a throbbing pain deep in the bone. It _hurt_ , but it didn't clog up his thoughts anymore.

Looking around, he didn't see the site of their crashed ship. Somehow, they had managed to get away from it, though Hunk didn’t remember much about the process.

He could only hope it was far enough.

Shivering a bit, Hunk took note of where they were. He was still resting against one of the gigantic trees; the wide base of its trunk could have fit three of him side by side easily. Despite the dense foliage above, there was more sunlight filtering down, illuminating the small clearing in front of him. His helmet was sitting off to the side, close enough that he could still reach it if needed, along with the armor from his leg.

He shifted against the tree, hissing in pain.

"Glad to see you're awake," came a voice to his right. Looking over, Hunk saw Shiro sitting against the tree, watching him with concern. "How are you feeling?"

Hunk looked down at his leg, remembering too late why he was avoiding the sight. But his leg actually looked nearly...normal. The dark fabric of his undersuit had been torn away, and now that he was seeing it, the rough feeling of bark accompanied the constant thrum of pain. Shiro must have made a splint from one of the trees. The bark was a few shades darker than Hunk’s skin, with a rough, craggy exterior. It looked startlingly similar to typical tree bark on earth, but weirdly magnified, with all the usual cracks and bumps a little too big.

"I've been better," Hunk said, wincing at the sound of his voice. It was rough and scratchy, like he'd been screaming for hours.

Which, when Hunk thought about it, could have been true.

Looking back over at Shiro, Hunk saw his expression tighten. "I'm sorry," Shiro said softly. "I know it was bad, but we had to get away. I couldn't afford to have you pass out before we put some distance between us and the ship."

Hunk couldn't help but be surprised at his tone. Was Shiro expecting Hunk to be _angry_ for keeping him alive?

"I get it," Hunk replied, genuinely thankful that Shiro had been thinking clearly. One of them had to, at least. "I mean, it wasn't _fun_ , but I'll take that over being shot in the face by a Galra, so thanks."

Shiro laughed, and it made Hunk smile. Until how he saw Shiro wince as he shifted against the tree.

It was then that Hunk finally noticed.

Shiro's arm was draped over his left side, holding it loosely. The forest floor was dark, the dirt looking almost black in the weak sunlight, but Hunk could just make out a small puddle of something distinctly wet on the ground next to Shiro. Without the helmet, Hunk could see how his white bangs stuck to his forehead, looking damp with sweat.

"Shiro, are you ok?"

Shiro let out a shaking breath, moving his hand away from his side. Hunk could see now that Shiro had something black in his hand—a piece of Hunk's undersuit, if Hunk had to guess. It was dripping blood, adding to the growing puddle on the ground.

Now that Shiro had moved his hand, Hunk could clearly see the ugly wound slashed across his side, which had sliced through the usually sturdy material of his undersuit.

"I've been better too," Shiro replied, trying to inject some humor into the situation.

The wound made Hunk's blood turn cold. It was jagged and awful-looking, stretching from his back nearly to his stomach. It didn't look particularly deep, but it was seeping blood at a steady rate. Nausea flooded through him as he watched Shiro shift slightly, causing the blood to drip down his side anew. That was....a _lot_ of blood. Hunk had to blink a few times against the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm him at the sight.

Hunk belatedly realized he was staring, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. Had Shiro been working like this since they'd crashed? How on earth had he managed to drag both of them away from the wreck?

Shiro made a small noise of pain. "I'll be alright," he said, going for reassuring this time, but Hunk couldn't understand just _how_ Shiro had done everything with that kind of wound. Looking up, Hunk met Shiro's eyes, noticing how pale he was, how the scar across his nose stood out in stark relief.

"So, I know you just woke up," Shiro said slowly, "but I need to tell you something."

Hunk could only watch as Shiro held up his Galra arm.

"I going to cauterize the wound, and I need you to make sure I get it all."

There was silence for a moment while Hunk digested this. Then his jaw dropped, fully registering the words.

"You're going to...are you insane?!" Hunk cried, eyes going wide.

Shiro let his arm fall back to his side, wincing again at the movement. "I know it's not...ideal. But it's better than bleeding to death, which seems to be the alternative."

Hunk just shook his head, even though Shiro's words made a sickening kind of sense. They didn't have much in terms of first aid, and Hunk knew that blood loss was about to become a very real issue. Assuming it wasn't already.

"We need to at least find some water or something," Hunk insisted. "To like, clean it? If you cauterized it now..."

Hunk let the sentence trail off. He did _not_ want to think about that right now.

Shiro sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head against the bark behind him. "I know, I know. I just...don't think we have time."

The implication sat heavy in Hunk's mind. There was a tense moment of silence before Hunk groaned. "Alright, I guess you've convinced me. But it's gonna leave a hell of a scar. I'm not sure even the pods will fix that."

Shiro's lips twitched a bit at that, eyes still closed. "What's one more?"

 _Ouch_. Hunk's cheeks burned, realizing now what he'd said. But before he could be too embarrassed, Shiro turned to look at him.

"I'm going to cauterize it," he said again, "but I can't see the whole thing. I need you to tell me if I've missed any spots."

Hunk cringed at how casually Shiro was explaining it. Missing spots as if they were painting a fence instead of _burning Shiro's skin together_.

"Geez, Shiro, I don't know if I can..." Hunk let his words trail off as he blinked rapidly, trying not to pass out again. The pain from his leg and the shock of the whole situation mixed with way Shiro's blood was still oozing out of his wound—

"Hunk!"

Startling, Hunk snapped his attention back toward Shiro, who was looking at him intensely. "I know this is...a lot. But you can't pass out on me yet, ok? I..." He closed his eyes, slumping further against the tree, and Hunk noticed how worn out he looked. "I need your help."

Hunk wasn't sure he'd ever heard Shiro ask for help, not like that. Not for himself.

What was he supposed to do?

Closing his eyes for a moment, Hunk took a deep breath. This whole situation absolutely sucked. Was he really supposed to just watch as Shiro cauterized his own wound? After everything he'd already done for Hunk, was there nothing else he could do?

He released the breath he'd been holding, opening his eyes and looking at Shiro again. Shiro was still slumped against the tree, still looking at him intensely, still clutching his injured side. Reluctantly, Hunk nodded. "I want it on the record that this idea sucks."

Shiro actually chuckled at that, sitting up as best he could, wincing. "Your complaint has been noted," he replied dryly.

Shifting as much as he could, Shiro looked down at the gash across his side. Hunk could only assume it wasn't very deep, or else they would definitely not be having this conversation right now. Or any conversation at all.

Hunk shook his head. Now was not the time for that.

"Okay," Shiro breathed out softly. He looked back up at Hunk. "Ready?"

Shouldn't he be the one asking that? "No," Hunk replied honestly. "But it's now or never, right?"

Shiro's mouth quirked upwards, almost into a smile. "Right."

Reaching around with his Galra arm, Shiro took another deep breath, pinching the torn skin together before powering it up.

Immediately, there was the horrifying sizzle as the prosthetic seared the skin, sounding almost like cooking meat. Shiro made a horrible, strangled noise of pain as the heat slowly began to sear the torn flesh together.

Hunk watched as Shiro moved the arm back, slowly sealing the wound and leaving reddened, burned skin in its wake. He moved with nearly surgical precision, and at first glance, the arm seemed steady and sure. The longer Hunk watched, though, the more he saw Shiro’s facade crumble, his Galra arm shaking all the way up to his shoulder.

Hunk found it hard to tear his eyes away from the awful scene in front of him, like watching a car crash. But then Shiro made another quiet, pained noise—so quiet Hunk thought he might have imagined it—and his eyes flickered up to Shiro's face.

He was breathing hard through his nose, teeth ground together so tight Hunk almost expected to see cracks. His eyes were half closed, though he was keeping his eyes locked on the progress of his arm. Beads of sweat were making their way down his too-pale face, and Hunk could see how his other hand was curled into a tight fist on the ground between them.

Another inch of skin, another choked noise of pain. It sounded like he was trying not to scream.

The whole scene made Hunk feel cold all over. He'd never seen Shiro like this before: Shiro, their strong, unwavering leader. Who took everything the universe threw at him and more. Even now, he was somehow managing to keep it all under control. Hunk's heart ached.

After what seemed like an eternity, Shiro dropped his arm, letting the power dissipate. The sounds of his ragged breathing filled the air, and the scent of burnt flesh made Hunk's nausea return in full force. Shiro leaned his head back against the massive tree behind him, closing his eyes and taking deep, uneven breaths. "Please...tell me I got it all," he rasped in a strangled voice.

Hunk didn't want to look at the roughly sealed wound again, but he let his eyes look it over as quickly as possible. No more blood, as far as he could see. The gash was jagged and horrible looking, with ridges of inflamed, uneven skin. But it was closed.

"You're good," Hunk said, barely able to choke out the words.

Shiro nodded once, curling up a bit around his wounded side. Hunk finally took the chance to look away, swallowing against his protesting stomach. He shifted on the hard ground, moving his injured leg in the process. He couldn't suppress his whimper as the pain shot through him anew.

"Hunk?" Shiro asked, voice still hoarse and strained. Hunk looked over to see Shiro peering at him through his sweat dampened bangs, face full of concern, though his eyes were still tight with pain. "Are you alright?"

Trying to smile reassuringly, Hunk nodded. "Yeah, sorry, I'm good. Just bumped my leg." Of course Shiro would ask him that, even after what he just went through. Hunk would have kicked himself, if he could have.

"We need...to figure out our next move," Shiro said, still trying to talk through the aftermath. "Contact....the others."

"Well, yeah," Hunk replied. "But maybe that can wait until you can use full sentences?"

Shiro chuckled a bit at that. "That's....fair. But I wouldn't mind a...a distraction."

Hunk couldn't help the guilt that washed over him at the catch in Shiro's voice. Of course. Hunk felt so far out of his depth that it wasn't even funny. If only he'd been faster on the ship—

Before he could go down that rabbit hole again, Hunk muttered a soft sound as a thought hit him. Lifting his arm, he pulled up the holographic screen from the gauntlet of his armor. "I have the information we got from the Galra ship. Maybe there's something about this planet on here. You know, location, atmosphere, the fastest way to a Denny's."

"Good call," Shiro said, and despite everything going on, Hunk couldn't help the warm, pleased feeling that washed over him at Shiro's praise.

He pulled up the data file they'd extracted, flicking through the information until he found what he could only assume was the planet they were currently stuck on. There was some of the standard information: atmosphere (breathable, obviously), location (in a section of space he had absolutely no hope of recognizing), and then an entire data file on the Galra's purpose here.

"Holy cow," Hunk said, reacting without thinking.

"What? What is it? Did you figure out where we are?" Shiro was throwing questions at him, but Hunk wasn't really paying attention.

"This planet..." He turned back towards Shiro, whose eyes were still glazed with pain, but locked on to his face. "According to this, the Galra have somehow...artificially infused it with a ridiculous amount of quintessence." Looking around at the massive fauna, it all suddenly made sense. "No wonder all the trees are so big...I just assumed it was just an alien planet thing."

Frowning, Shiro tilted his head. "But what's the point in infusing a planet with quintessence?"

Hunk turned back to the screen, scrolling through the report. "Apparently it was a lifeless planet until they got here. The point is..." Hunk paused as he read the last section of the report. "They want to see if they can force the planet to increase its natural quintessence output. By jump starting the planet's evolution, they think it'll force it to grow double or triple the amount of quintessence of a normal planet. Like giving a planet fertilizer, I guess?"

"So we stumbled across a Galra science project?" Shiro asked flatly.

"Basically." Hunk pulled up the next file in the list, which looked to be a timetable of sorts. And the next item on the list was—

"Oh no."

Shiro picked his head up from where he was leaning against the massive tree. "What?"

Hunk looked over at Shiro, eyes wide and horrified. "The komar."

Shiro's eyes widened in understanding. "When?"

"I'm not sure." Hunk looked at the date in the schedule, mentally calculating as best he could. "A...a movement, give or take."

There was silence for a moment as they let that sink in. Hunk had been worried at first about things like food and water, but now they had to think less about the long term and more about getting off this planet before the Galra reaped the rewards of their experiment.

"Okay." Shiro took a few deep breaths, and before Hunk could protest, he was slowly getting to his feet.

"Um, hey Shiro, what the heck do you think you're doing?!" Hunk couldn't believe he was upright. Not after all that. "Sit down, man, you're gonna hurt yourself!"

Shiro was still a few shades too pale, clutching tightly at his injured side. Even so, he gave Hunk a tight smile. "We need to start gathering supplies. I'm going to go back to the ship, see if there's anything there we can use to get us off this planet."

The ship. Of course. Ordinarily, it would be a good plan, and a smart next move.

Ordinarily, though, Shiro wouldn't be looking on the verge of collapse.

"What about the Galra?" Hunk asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. If there was one thing he knew about Shiro, it was that he responded to logic better than fear. "We had to get away from the ship because of them. Should you really be going back on your own?"

Normally, Shiro versus the Galra would be a match Hunk would bet on without hesitation. Now, though, he wasn't even sure he could bet on Shiro making it to the ship, let alone fight any Galra in the area. It was a strange feeling, being worried for him like this. Hunk didn't like it.

"Probably not," Shiro admitted, "but there's no other choice."

With that, he took a few shaky steps forward. Luckily, he wasn't too far away, and as soon as he was close enough, Hunk reached out and grabbed his arm.

 _“Shiro!”_ Hunk yelled in exasperation. “There’s no way you’ll get there like this.”

Shiro looked over, frowning. “This needs to be done,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Sure, but maybe don’t do it _right after cauterizing your own wound?!”_

There was a tense silence between them where Hunk truly thought Shiro was going to insist on going anyway. But soon enough, he sighed, shoulders slumping. Hunk gently tugged on Shiro’s arm, coaxing him to sit back down against the tree.

“We can’t wait long,” Shiro said, leaning his head against the tree trunk. “I have to get to that ship before the Galra discover it. There could be things we could use. Medical supplies.”

Hunk sighed. “I know.” Shiro was right, of course. The sooner they got to those supplies, the better. Especially the medical supplies. Maybe they’d have something that could help Shiro.

Thinking about the ship, an idea struck him. “Maybe we can salvage some parts from the comms system,” he said slowly, fleshing out the idea as he spoke. “If there are enough parts left, maybe I can make some kind of homing signal for the others to find us.”

Shiro shot him a tired smile, though it was a genuine one. “Good thinking, Hunk.”

There it was again: that warm feeling at being praised by Shiro. Hunk couldn’t help his own smile. It was good to be useful, finally.

They sat in silence after that, and there wasn't much for Hunk to do other than worry. Worry about the Galra. Worry about the planet being destroyed by the komar while they were still on it. Worry about what they were going to do about food.

Worry about Shiro.

Hunk was used to being the one who worried. It seemed the others had lost their sense of self preservation at some point along the way in this war, assuming they ever had it to begin with. At the very least, they'd lost their common sense. The others worried about the big picture: defeat the Galra, save the universe, be the good guys. It always felt like Hunk was the one who had to worry about the specifics: was Altean food edible for humans? Did Alteans have indoor plumbing? Was there a water supply on the ship?

And so on.

This was all common for Hunk. But worrying about Shiro...that was new.

Shiro was the one who held the team together. He was the one who led them into battle, who made sure they all made it out in one piece. He was the one who kept them alive when there were enemies converging on them, who bonded with his Lion almost immediately, who encouraged them when they were close to giving up. Hunk wasn't supposed to have to worry about him.

But maybe, he didn't have to.

Because yes, Hunk worried. But it often turned out that his worries amounted to very little. Altean food was edible, if a little disgusting at times; they did indeed have indoor plumbing on the Castle ship (thank goodness); the water supply was an ultra high efficient recycling system similar to the ones in their suits. In the end, these small things had ended up working out.

This would, too.

Of course, these led to the bigger question about how they were going to survive this planet. But despite worrying, Hunk knew that if anyone was going to keep them alive here, it would be Shiro. Not that he didn't trust the others with his life, of course; but if he had to pick anyone to be stranded on a freakish, quintessence soaked planet, Shiro would probably be one of his top choices. He was strong, and smart, and resourceful. Hunk was letting his imagination get the best of him.

They would be alright. Between the two of them, they'd be out of here in a flash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated and encouraged :)
> 
> Check me out on [Tumblr](https://shirocomplex.tumblr.com/)!


	2. There's a day when our courage collaspes

"I'm afraid I cannot locate them."

Keith stopped his nervous pacing across the bridge to whirl on Allura, eyes wide in disbelief. "What?! I thought this ship could track them anywhere!"

Allura sighed, dropping her hands from the controls. "The Castle can track the Lions across vast distances, yes. But Hunk and Shiro's Lions aren't with them."

"So track their armor!" Keith yelled, balling his hands into fists at his sides. "It shouldn't be that hard to find them."

"I'm doing everything I can," Allura responded, voice calm despite Keith's increasingly angry tone.

"Dude." A hand landed on Keith's shoulder, and he whipped around to see Lance standing behind him. "I know you're worried about them, but yelling at Allura isn't helping."

Keith grit his teeth, cheeks burning in shame. He knew that it wasn't Allura's fault. But it was hard to stand around and do nothing when his teammates might be in trouble.

When _Shiro_ might be in trouble.

"If you want to yell at someone," Pidge spoke up sullenly, "then yell at me. It's my fault they got stranded on that ship."

"Pidge..." Allura sounded sad. "It's no one's fault."

"Yes it is!" Pidge cried, leaping up from her chair. "I'm the one who designed the program for Hunk to use. I'm the one who missed that there was a hyperjump scheduled. I'm the one who left them behind!"

She turned to Keith, shoulders hunched. "So if you want to blame someone, blame me."

Keith let out a harsh breath, crossing his arms. The move reminded him that he still hadn't taken off his armor. None of them had. "It's not your fault, Pidge. We didn't know the ship was going to do a hyperjump."

"I should have known," she replied miserably. "It was my job to make sure everything was right with the mission and I messed it up. And now Hunk and Shiro are..."

She trailed off, sniffling slightly. Keith felt a pang of guilt at the sound. He didn't blame her, though. He didn't really blame anyone, except maybe himself. He's the one who had finally convinced Pidge to leave them behind. And yet...

"Shiro was right to order you to leave," Allura said. She looked at Keith as she said it, as if daring him to contradict her. "Having the Green Lion on the ship any longer would have posed too much of a risk."

Keith knew she was right, of course. But it didn't mean the situation sat any better with him.

"So how are we gonna find them?" Lance asked, tapping his foot anxiously. "They could be literally anywhere in the universe."

"Well, not exactly," Coran piped up. "We know that Galra ships have a set range within which they can make a hyperjump. And there is a cool down period between jumps, so we can reasonably assume Hunk and Shiro got off the ship after the first."

Pidge scrubbed a hand under her glasses before sitting back down, pulling up a holographic screen. "We can calculate the area where they can jump to and start scanning there. If we use scanners designed specifically for the signal emitted from our armor, it should help us narrow down the search."

Lance sighed, flopping himself down onto his own chair. "What if they didn't get off the ship on time? What if the ship made like, a hundred jumps? We'll never find them!"

"Didn't you hear what Coran said?" Keith replied, frustration bleeding into his voice. "They can't make more than one jump without a cool down period. They would be off the ship after the first jump."

"Yeah, but how do we _know_ that?" Lance asked again.

Keith exhaled through his nose, trying to keep his temper in check.

Before he could go off on Lance, however, Keith noticed how he wasn't making eye contact with anyone. His foot was still tapping anxiously, and his arms were crossed tightly across his chest. It hit Keith, then, that Lance must be feeling something similar to him. Yes, they were all worried about Hunk and Shiro, but Hunk was Lance's best friend. He must have been scared for him.

Just like Keith was for Shiro.

Keith let his arms drop to his sides. "They're gonna be ok, Lance," he said, feeling the fight drain out of him. "Shiro's with Hunk. He's in good hands."

Lance looked up at that, and managed to give Keith a weak smile. "Yeah. You're right. Shiro's probably the best person he could be with right now."

Keith nodded, feeling the mood on the bridge lighten a bit.

"They are Paladins of Voltron," Allura said, exuding the confidence they all needed at that moment. "We must trust in their abilities. We _will_ find them." She nodded to Pidge, who was looking at her with new determination.

"Let's get to work."

* * *

Hunk fiddled with the metal part in his hand, trying to see where it opened. He really didn't want to accidentally snap any important parts off, especially when he wasn't even completely sure what they all did. Tapping along the side, he found a small crevice which allowed him to pry open part of the metal casing, letting him see the guts of the little machine. Off to his side, his helmet lay open with its visor removed and the inside wiring exposed. Now how to get the two connected...

Shifting a bit, Hunk hissed as pain shot through his leg anew. It hurt constantly, but moving even a little bit caused the pain to magnify. Hunk had never had a very high pain threshold, but he was a little amazed at how easy it was to ignore, now that he had something to do.

"Everything alright?" Shiro asked from where he was kneeling by a pile of wood. It was starting to get dark, though it was hard to tell with the perpetual dusk-like feeling from the enormous foliage overhead. Luckily, there was no shortage of kindling for a fire; Shiro didn't have to go much farther than a neighboring tree. Hunk was grateful for that; despite his ordeal earlier, Shiro still insisted on being up and moving.

"S'fine," Hunk said, still wincing a little. "Just moved wrong."

Shiro nodded, turning his attention back to their makeshift fire pit. It hadn't taken much coaxing from Shiro's Galra arm to get a small fire started, but with the ridiculous amount of combustible material around, he wanted to make sure the fire didn't grow too big. The last thing they needed was to burn the forest down.

Shiro's journey to and from the remains their stolen ship had been, thankfully, uneventful. Hunk had been worried that he still wasn’t ready for it, but they couldn’t afford to wait any longer. Luckily, Shiro had managed to find a fair amount: an empty water pouch, a handful of rations, and a mess of scattered comms equipment. The first aid kit had been pretty barren, but luckily there were some relatively clean bandages they had been able to use to wrap up Shiro’s injured side.

Hunk rolled his shoulders, trying to ignore the pain. He’d been working on getting the managled Galra tech to interface with the Altean wiring in his helmet, and while he’d made some good progress, it was an uphill battle.

A hand appeared in his peripheral vision, and he saw Shiro, holding out the water pouch. Hunk took it, swallowing a few mouthfuls gratefully. On his way back from the wreckage site, Shiro had managed to find a stream to fill the water pouch, though it wasn’t as close as they’d like.

"We should consider calling it a night," Shiro said as Hunk handed back the pouch, taking a drink. "We don't know what this planet is like after dark."

The words sent a shiver of anxiety down Hunk's spine. Despite the data from the Galra saying this planet was uninhabited, there's no telling what a massive quintessence injection would have done to the ecosystem. If the Galra hadn't been back since they began the experiment, it was entirely possible that the accelerated evolution created something with a taste for meat.

For human flavored meat. Hunk swallowed back the fear.

"I'll do a perimeter check," Shiro declared, setting the water pouch down where Hunk could easily reach it. He straightened, but stumbled backwards a step.

The move made Hunk raise his eyebrows. "Are you ok, dude?"

"I'm fine," Shiro answered immediately, shaking his head slightly. "Just lost my balance."

Hunk frowned, not buying it. He really wished Shiro would sit down for longer than ten minutes; he'd been trying to keep an eye on him throughout the day, and didn't like what he saw. Shiro's face hadn't really regained its colour, still being a few shades too pale, and his movements were becoming sluggish. Even now, as he tried to convince Hunk that he was fine, his left arm was curled slightly inward, around his injured side.

But a part of Hunk was scared for both of them, rather than just for Shiro. On some level, even if Hunk didn't want to admit it, he knew he was relying on Shiro to keep them both alive. Hell, he was relying on Shiro to keep _him_ alive, seeing as he was effectively immobile.

And seeing Shiro anything other than in control was...disconcerting, to say the least.

But logically, Hunk knew Shiro was right; a perimeter check was necessary, and seeing as he was the only one that could walk...

Hunk sighed in frustration. With his helmet in pieces, they wouldn't even be able to communicate if something happened. Not that Hunk would be much help if something _did_ happen.

Shiro straightened up, taking a deep breath. "I won't be long."

Hunk watched Shiro's retreating figure, trying not to panic. God, it was all too much.

Time passed by at a crawl as Hunk waited for Shiro to return. It was officially too dark to work on the communication device from the ship. Even with the fire burning a few feet away, he couldn't physically get himself close enough to it for it to provide any real light. Luckily, it seemed the climate wasn't freezing cold at night, and the residual warmth of the fire kept any kind of chill at bay.

It was nearly impossible to tell how long the day cycles were from the relatively short time they'd spent here, especially with the dense tree cover above. For all Hunk knew, the planet could be prone to acid rain at night. It's not like the Galra were particularly concerned if the planet was habitable.

Hunk rubbed at his uninjured leg, trying to move it without jostling the other one. He could feel himself going stiff. His back was already hurting, and his shoulders ached from hunching over the parts from the ship. He really hoped Shiro would help him lie down soon.

Hunk belatedly realized that the planet's sun had fully set, leaving him in darkness, save for the fire. Unfortunately, it threw tall, ominous shadows throughout the small clearing they'd set up camp in. A thousand possibilities popped into Hunk's head. What if the Galra found him while Shiro was away? Or something worse? Hell, what if the Galra found _Shiro_ while he was so obviously injured? Would Hunk ever know? Or would he just never come back, leaving Hunk to wonder what happened to him? Oh _god—_

Just then, as if confirming his worst fears, the bushes rustled off to his right. His bayard was in his hand and firing before he could even process it.

It was a short, controlled burst, but it sounded like an explosion in the quiet forest. There was a curse from the dark, and Hunk recognized the voice.

Shiro stumbled out from between two mammoth trees, and for a horrifying second Hunk thought he'd actually shot him. But Shiro straightened, looking no worse for wear except for a streak of dirt along his chest plate, presumably where he’d rolled out of the way of Hunk's shot. He glowered at Hunk, making a show at brushing it off. "Expecting someone else?"

Hunk was ready to cry. This was all _too much_. "I'm so sorry, Shiro! I just thought...I..."

There wasn't really an excuse for this. Hunk allowed his bayard to retract back into his suit, feeling real tears in his eyes.

Shiro shook his head, and to Hunk's shock, he had a small smile on his face. "That was a good shot. I suppose it's my fault for sneaking up on you."

"Oh man, what if I'd actually _hit_ you?" Hunk said softly, burying his face in his hands. The stress of the situation was finally beginning to take over, making his chest feel like it was cracking open. He was sure his heart was going to give out.

Before he could fall too far into that thought, though, a hand landed on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Shiro's face in front of his—still too pale, especially now that he was up close, lit only by the uneven light of the fire. But his expression was soft. "Hey. It's ok. You didn't. You did good, Hunk."

Distantly, Hunk recognized how Shiro was trying to calm him down. Taking a few deep breaths, Hunk nodded once, scrubbing a hand over his face roughly. "Well, I still feel bad about it."

"Well, if it means anything, I appreciate the thought." Shiro lowered himself next to Hunk, leaning back against the tree gratefully. Leaning his head back, Shiro closed his eyes, draping a hand across his stomach. Hunk noticed how he was still unconsciously keeping a hand over his wound. Not that Hunk could blame him; it probably still hurt like hell.

He leaned forward, hoping to sneak a glance at Shiro, but instead ended up curled over in pain. Not just from the leg this time, but from sitting against the tree for so long.

Somehow, Shiro knew exactly what he needed. "Do you want me to help you lie down? We should probably get some sleep."

Despite being worried for Shiro just a moment ago, Hunk sighed in relief. "Yeah. It's been...a really long day."

It was a slow, painful process, but eventually they got Hunk on his back. It wasn't exactly a hotel bed, but at least it gave him a chance to move easier. Shiro had insisted he leave his armor on, just in case, but was able to move him a little close to the fire.

It was a relief to be lying down, though he was still breathing hard from the exertion. Shiro had done most of the work, with Hunk trying to maneuver himself in the least painful way possible.

Shiro settled in closer to the fire, not too far from Hunk. "I'll take first watch," he said, leaving no room for argument.

Not that Hunk was planning on it. "You sure?" he asked anyway, if only to make sure Shiro was up for it. He'd been worried earlier about Shiro actually _resting_ , but now that he was finally more comfortable (or at least, less uncomfortable), he could feel how tired he was.

Shiro nodded, nudging the fire with his foot. "You need to sleep, Hunk. I'll keep watch."

"Mmm," Hunk murmured. "Wake me when it's my turn." 

Hunk didn't hear Shiro's answer.

He slept in fits and starts, but the only sounds that greeted him throughout the night were the crackle of the fire and the soft sound of Shiro shifting on the ground next to him. Sleeping in armor wasn’t something Hunk would have thought he could do, but it seemed like his body could do things he’d never expected in the face of overwhelming exhaustion.

It wasn’t exactly a good night’s rest, but it was better than nothing. At the very least, it seemed his tired mind was too worn out to drag up any recent horrors, and his sleep was dreamless. Hunk wasn’t usually prone to nightmares—not ones that he could remember, at least—but they had been happening more often ever since their impromptu drafting into an intergalactic space war. 

A warm breeze drifted across Hunk's face as he stirred. The air here didn't smell right; it smelled heavy, almost oppressive. Hunk's eyes opened slowly, even as sleep tried to pull him down again. His internal clock said it was morning, but the light around him was weak, like it was just barely dawn. It was disorienting.

Sighing, Hunk realized how uncomfortable he was, and tried to turn on his side.

The pain was immediate.

Crying out, Hunk's eyes opened all the way as he tried to find the source of the pain, but it was _overwhelming_ . It felt like it was coming from everywhere, and he couldn't figure out how to make it _stop_. Tears sprung to his eyes as the pain mixed with panic.

Before he could fully submit to the panic, a pair of hands grabbed on to his shoulders, firmly pressing him back down on his back. "Hunk? Hunk, calm down. Listen to me. It's okay, you're okay."

That was...

Shiro?

Hunk looked up through the tears, which had started streaming down his cheeks. Shiro's face was hovering above him, eyes full of concern, but overall calm. Hunk tried to focus on that. "W-what?"

"Breathe with me," Shiro ordered. He took a deliberate breath in, then out, and Hunk copied the motion. Soon enough, his panicked breathing calmed, even as the pain continued. It was coming from his leg, he finally realized, and then the situation came flooding back to him.

Right. Stranded. Broken leg. 

"Can you help me...sit up?" Hunk asked, breathing still labored. Shiro nodded, getting behind him and pushing him up by the shoulders. Between the two of them, they managed to get Hunk sitting against one of the giant tree trunks again.

Panting slightly, Hunk took in the sight of their makeshift camp. The fire was still burning, though lower now. The weak light filtering through the trees wasn't much of an indicator for the time of day, and the temperature wasn't much different than it was a night.

Something was bothering him about this situation for some reason, though. It wasn't just the weirdness of the light, or the inability to pin down the day cycle. But it was—

It hit him suddenly, as he continued to look up at the dense tree cover. He'd been asleep all night. Which meant—

Whipping his head over to where Shiro was poking at the fire, Hunk's eyebrows shot up practically into his hairline. "You didn't wake me up?"

Shiro looked over at that, and— _wow_ . Hunk hadn't really noticed how he'd looked until now. The dark circles under his eyes—which were usually there, unfortunately—were much more prominent, and it wasn't only due to his face _still_ being too pale. His white bangs hung limply across his forehead, and his eyes were a bit duller than they were last night.

"You needed to rest," Shiro said. "Besides, I wanted to be awake in case anything happened."

Goddammit, Shiro.

"So you've been awake this whole time?" Hunk asked, even though he knew the answer. A horrifying realization hit him. "Since before the mission? Since we were on the _Castle?!_ "

Shiro studied the fire, pointedly not answering. Hunk groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Dude..."

Before Hunk could protest, Shiro stood abruptly, scooping up the nearly empty water pouch. He walked the few steps over to Hunk, handing it out to him. "Finish the rest, and I'll go fill it up again."

Hunk could not believe he was hearing this. Up close, Shiro wasn't really looking any better. But he seemed steady enough on his feet, and Hunk knew protesting would get him nowhere. So he begrudgingly took the pouch and drained it, handing it back with a scowl. "Just don't take too long. You need to sleep, dude."

Shiro nodded, somewhat absently, tucking the pouch onto his belt. He turned to leave, steps a little unsteady.

Hunk blew out an irritated breath as he watched him leave, the worry and annoyance mixing in his stomach. Why was Shiro being so _stubborn?_

Luckily, there was enough light for Hunk to pick up his work with the communication device. He realized there probably wasn't a way to merge the technology in his helmet with the scant pieces that survived the crash, at least not in the way he'd hoped. There was no way to boost the signal in his helmet so that he could talk to the others, but he was pretty sure he could amplify the signal the armor put out. Hopefully that would be strong enough for Allura to find them.

Unfortunately, it would probably also alert the Galra of their position.

He had no doubt that they were still in orbit, if not on the planet itself. Turning on the amplifier would mean lighting a beacon for the Galra to find them.

It wouldn't take much more to complete it, though there was no real way to test it without turning it on. So if he'd screwed something up, they would have no idea. And the komar—

Oh, god. If he didn't do this right, they were both dead.

With that encouraging thought, Hunk got to work.

He was nearly finished when Shiro returned, water pouch in hand. This time, Hunk managed to not almost shoot him, so maybe things were looking up after all.

His optimism dissipated when he saw how Shiro all but collapsed against Hunk’s tree, breathing a little harder than he should have been.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Hunk couldn't help but ask. Maybe he'd run into some Galra after all?

But Shiro just nodded, eyes fluttering shut.

Hunk stared at him for a moment longer, then turned his attention back to the beacon. It only needed a few more tweaks before Hunk was ready to call it finished. But before he could say anything about it, his stomach growled. Loudly.

Right. They hadn't eaten since.....yesterday? Time was beginning to lose meaning for Hunk.

Shiro actually chuckled softly at the sound, opening his eyes and looking over. "Sorry. It's been a while since we ate, huh?"

"Yeah," Hunk agreed. "Where are those rations?"

It was almost painful to watch Shiro struggle to his feet. Hunk felt a pang of guilt at the sight. If only he was able to get up and move, maybe Shiro wouldn't feel like he needed to push himself so hard, to take everything on himself.

Then again, it was Shiro they were talking about.

Shiro scooped up the packets from where they sat with the rest of their meager supplies, bringing one over to Hunk before settling down next to him.

Ripping the packet open, Hunk peered into it to see something with an unsettling beige colour inside. _Ugh_. Rations. It seemed the Galra hadn't done any better than humans at making them appetizing.

Scooping out a bit, he wrinkled his nose at the weird bitter taste. "Man, I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Coran's food goo."

Shiro laughed softly, opening his own packet. "It's better than eating tree bark, I guess."

"Barely," Hunk muttered.

Shiro took out a small bit of the weird goop, looking reluctant to eat it. Hunk frowned at the sight; despite the gross taste, he was _hungry_ , and he'd eat it even if it was disgusting without hesitation. He'd never known Shiro to be a particularly picky eater. He watched as Shiro ate the ration slowly, still frowning. But before he could ask, Shiro spoke up. "Making any progress with those parts from the ship?"

Hunk looked over to where the blackened bits of Galra tech were scattered around his mangled helmet, plugged into various exposed components and jerry rigged into others. "It's basically done. We won't be able to communicate with the others, but this should amplify the signal in my helmet. It's hard to tell what the range is, but it's probably farther than our suits, with all this extra tech compensating for the weak signal." Hunk shrugged, fiddling with a few of the wires. "Only problem is, it'll most likely notify the Galra of our exact position."

Shiro frowned, lowering his ration packet. "We'll have to be ready when we use it, then."

"Yeah, but...shouldn't we use it _soon?_ " The thought of the komar hadn't left Hunk's mind since they got there, and he was ready to be done with this planet. Even if it meant potentially bringing the Galra down on them.

"We will," Shiro responded. "But we still have some time. Let's give the others a chance to find us first. I don't want to invite an ambush. I know it isn't ideal, but we need to be patient."

Hunk ducked his head, not meeting Shiro's eyes. "I know. I'm sorry this was all I could do." Maybe if Shiro could go back to the crashed ship, he could salvage more parts. Or maybe if Hunk was a better engineer, he would have been able to make something that actually worked properly. His cheeks burned at the thought of letting Shiro down so spectacularly.

"Hey," Shiro said softly. Hunk lifted his head to see Shiro smiling at him. "I didn't mean it like that. You've done an amazing job, considering I really didn't know what to bring back for you."

Was Shiro trying to blame himself for this? No. That was unacceptable.

"You brought me everything I needed." Hunk said adamantly. "Considering the condition of the ship, it's amazing we got any parts at all."

Shiro laughed softly, though it sounded dark. "Yeah. Too bad we had a shit pilot, huh?"

No, _no_ . How did this get back to blaming Shiro? It was only thanks to him that they were alive at all. All Hunk had been able to do since they got here was be a liability, and then make a half-assed communication device. It was _Shiro_ who was making sure they got out of here in one piece. Hunk didn't want to hear Shiro take any of the blame for this situation.

After all, this all started on that Galra ship, where Hunk had failed them first. If anyone was to blame for this shit situation, it was squarely on Hunk.

Before he could protest further, though, Shiro's eyes flickered down to Hunk's now empty ration pack. "Still hungry?" he asked.

Hunk raised an eyebrow, tossing the empty pack aside. "Kinda, but I'll survive."

But Shiro was leaning over, handing out his. "You can have mine. Sorry it's probably not any better than the one you had, though."

Hunk frowned, shaking his head. "I don't need yours, dude. You need to eat too." Didn't Shiro need a lot of calories? Maybe even more than Hunk. First he sacrificed sleep for Hunk, and now food? This was getting ridiculous.

"It's fine," Shiro insisted, still holding out the packet.

"No, it's not!" Hunk cried, anger bubbling up inside him. "I know it's disgusting, but you have to _eat._ We haven't eaten in over a day, you need to keep your strength up! You can't just give everything to me because you think it's your job or something!"

Shiro's eyes widened at his outburst, but then he ducked his head, not making eye contact. "You're right. It was irresponsible. Sorry."

Hunk shook his head, watching as Shiro took the pack back. The anger faded almost immediately, and he watched with satisfaction as Shiro scooped out another portion, albeit another tiny one. "It's fine, Shiro. But you don't need to give me extra food. I'm sure I could stand to skip a meal or two."

Shiro's head whipped up, hearing the implication in Hunk's words. "No! No, Hunk. That's not it. I'm just...not all that hungry."

There was silence for a moment as Hunk digested the words. "Not...hungry? Shiro...it's been like, two days since our last meal." How could he not be hungry? That didn't make any sense. Something cold started to creep up Hunk's spine.

Shiro took another reluctant bite, shrugging under Hunk's scrutiny. 

The silence was grating on Hunk's nerves. He was _frustrated_. So, so frustrated. At this rate, Shiro would run himself into the ground before the Galra ever found them.

Leaning over just slightly, Shiro reached again for the water pouch. Hunk watched him do it, watched how even that small movement seemed sluggish. No, this was more than just Shiro's typical self-sacrificing crap, Hunk was beginning to realize. Something was _wrong_.

Hunk's eyes settled on the strip of bandage around Shiro's side. It had slipped slightly, exposing a bit of the skin there. That was all it took for the realization to set in.

That cold feeling in Hunk's spine was spreading, making his heart hammer a little harder. "Shiro," he said softly, but didn't continue right away, even as Shiro looked up. This was not a conversation Hunk wanted to have, but it seemed like it was inevitable.

Shiro raised an eyebrow when Hunk failed to finish his thought. A moment passed, then two, before Hunk finally swallowed around the dryness in his throat. "Come here for a sec."

Frowning, Shiro set aside the packet of rations before scooting over, until they were close enough for Hunk to reach out and gently touch the bandage around the wound. With shaking hands, Hunk undid the wrappings slowly, but despite his care, Shiro still winced at the touch.

Finally, Hunk moved the last end of the bandage away to reveal Shiro's wound. The wound he'd cauterized the day before. The area around the skin was red and puffy, with terrible dark streaks shooting in all directions across Shiro's side, visible even in the low light. Hunk held his hand just above it, and didn't need to make contact to feel the heat coming off of it.

Infection.

The silence was back, but this time, Hunk didn't really notice. His head was buzzing with horror at what he was seeing. This was advanced, far more advanced that it really should be, considering how little time had passed. But who knows what was in the air, in the water, in the fucking dirt they were sitting on. Hell, Hunk wasn't even sure how long Shiro had been wandering around with this open wound, since he'd had Hunk to take care first. And then...and _then…_

Shiro was looking down with him, frowning as he put a hand to his side. He made a soft noise of pain, letting out a breath he'd been holding. "Well...that's not great."

Hunk blinked rapidly as his throat closed, feeling the panic wash over him in a violent wave. As if in a daze, he raised a still-shaking hand to Shiro's face, cupping his cheek before pushing the back of his hand to Shiro's forehead.

Warm. Not horribly so, but warmer than he should be.

Shiro's eyebrows raised again at the action, but he didn't protest. There wasn't any room in Hunk's brain for embarrassment at what he was doing; every signal in his brain was in overdrive, panic and fear fighting for dominance.

If Hunk thought they were in the worst case scenario before, this blew everything out of the water.

"Hey." Shiro gently pried Hunk's hand away from his too-warm face, wrapping it with both of his own. "It's not that bad. It just...looks a lot worse than it is. I'll be fine, ok? I'm not going to leave you here."

This snapped Hunk out of his spiraling thoughts. "You...what?"

Smiling softly, Shiro just shook his head. "I'll still be able to protect you. Don't worry, Hunk. It'll be ok."

"You..." It clicked, then, what Shiro was getting at. The soft smile on his exhausted face said it all.

This was the last straw; Hunk couldn't take it. This goddamn planet with its weird, giant plants, the shadows that played on his fears during every hour of the day, Shiro was hurt and now—

Hunk tore his hand out of Shiro's grip. "You think I'm worried that you can't protect us? Protect _me?!"_

The tone of his voice seemed to get Shiro's attention, whose eyes went a little wider. "Hunk—"

"Ever since we got here," Hunk cut him off, voice shaking, "all you've done is protect me. You've kept us alive. You're the _only_ reason we're both still here. And now your wound is infected, because you had to spend all your time looking after _me_ . Are you expecting me to be _angry?!"_

Hunk was shaking all over now, which fucking _hurt_ because his leg was still broken and useless, just like the rest of him, but he needed Shiro to sit down and _listen_.

"You know what, Shiro? I am angry." Tears blurred Hunk's vision, though they didn't fall. "I'm angry because you _didn't sleep last night_ , since you thought I needed to sleep more than you did. I'm angry because you won't sit still for more than five minutes because you think this is all your fault for some reason. I'm angry that you won't _eat._ And I'm really, _really_ angry that you're hurt so badly and there's nothing I can do about it!"

He was aware that he was close to shouting by the end of his rant. Shiro was just staring at him silently, shock written on his face. Hunk roughly wiped his eyes with his palm, refusing to break down completely. "So you're going to sit your ass down, right here, while I rewrap your side and then you will _go to sleep!_ Because even if you won't eat, you need to _sleep_ , Shiro." The fire inside of Hunk was dying as fast as it was ignited. He wasn't like Keith, who could fan the flames of his rage seemingly indefinitely. Hunk wasn't built for anger. But the worry and fear for Shiro was overwhelming.

Before Shiro could respond, Hunk picked up the bandage where it was draped across his lap, using it to retie Shiro's side. Despite his frustration, Hunk made sure to go slow, taking care not to press too hard against the swollen, inflamed gash.

Shiro watched Hunk's face as he worked. Hunk could feel his eyes on him, even if he refused to look up.

They sat in silence until Hunk was tying up the bandage, when Shiro spoke up. "I'm sorry, Hunk. I never meant to make you worry. I just...."

Shiro bit his lip, seemingly unsure of what to say. Hunk couldn't remember seeing him like this: almost...admonished. Contrite. Hunk let out a harsh breath, but the anger didn’t return.

"Make it up to me by drinking some water," Hunk said, trying to lighten the mood. "And _sleeping_. I was serious about that. And finish your damn rations. You need to keep your strength up."

Sighing softly, Shiro nodded. "You're right. I've been irresponsible."

"I wouldn't go that far," Hunk relented. "But...you've done so much already. Let me take care of you for now."

Shiro stilled at Hunk's words, as if considering them for a moment. Then he picked up his packet of rations, though he still seemed reluctant to eat them.

He scooped out a handful, and Hunk was relieved to see him actually eat. A few minutes later, he put the empty packet aside, and after an expectant look from Hunk, stretched out on the ground next to the fire.

It was quiet, in their little crop of perpetual twilight. Despite the dense vegetation, Hunk never heard much more than the rustling of leaves or the crackle of the fire.

Hunk assumed Shiro had fallen asleep, lying on his uninjured side. But then he looked over his shoulder, expression soft. "Hunk?"

"Yeah?"

Pausing for a moment, Shiro seemed to try to gather his thoughts. Then he smiled. "I'm lucky to have you here with me."

Hunk blinked, but couldn't help the blush he felt painting his cheeks. He looked away in embarrassment. "Y-yeah, dude. Same here."

Shiro laughed a little, and Hunk looked back over to see him settle in. It didn't take long for his breathing to even out, and Hunk felt a small burst of relief at the sound.

Hunk watched Shiro's sleeping form for another moment, making sure he was well and truly out. Lying on his side with his arm—his Galra arm, Hunk noticed—under his head like a pillow, it didn't seem all that comfortable. But Shiro seemed to be able to sleep in uncomfortable places. It made Hunk's heart hurt to think why.

Resting his head on the tree trunk, Hunk turned his face upwards to the tree cover. The leaves were so far up, it was almost impossible to see the shape of them. They really, _really_ needed to get off this planet. He sat like that for a while, watching as the shadows slowly moved across the giant leaves above them. The planet was almost a contradiction: so ridiculously full of quintessence—of _life energy_ —and yet it felt so...inanimate. There was hardly any kind of wind, or even a breeze to rustle the leaves. The sheer lack of animal life was unnerving. The trees and plants were infused with energy, and yet it felt like a dead planet already. Hunk looked down at the dirt, scraping up a handful and examining it closer. He wasn’t sure what, exactly, he was expecting to see, but even the dirt looked lifeless, somehow. As if it was simply a prop in this empty, deserted world.

Eventually, boredom got the best of him. Looking over, he snagged the beacon, still connected to his helmet. He fiddled with it for a moment, wondering if he should activate it now. Taking another look at Shiro, he shook his head slightly. Better to wait until Shiro was awake. But every moment on this planet was another moment closer to the komar, and Hunk didn't want to wait much longer to activate it. Especially with the state of Shiro's wound. Time was definitely not on their side.

The whole situation was growing more dire by the hour, it seemed. Hunk's fidgeting stilled as he considered the implications of their situation. No way would Shiro be very mobile, not with the condition he was in. And Hunk couldn't move at all. If the Galra found them like this, they'd be done for.

Hunk swallowed, fighting back his fear. Now was not the time to fall apart. Not when Shiro needed him.

Unfortunately, with the beacon finished, there wasn't much else for Hunk to do. Other than focus on the pain, which was a constant throb at this point. But he'd almost grown used to how it ached, like a song in the background of his thoughts. 

They needed to wait until the last possible moment to activate the device. As soon as it was on, it would broadcast their signal to every Galra on the planet. Just because they hadn't seen any yet, didn't mean they weren't here. At the very least, there could be a team here to oversee the experiment. And with the two of them injured, there wasn't much they would be able to do if they were discovered. Not now, at least.

If only Hunk had put this together faster…

 _No_. Hunk shook his head hard, as if to dislodge the thoughts. This wasn’t helping. He needed to hold it together, even if it felt impossible. Even if everything about this situation was getting worse and worse, a seemingly unending nightmare of worst case scenarios.

But Hunk would hold it together. He _had_ to. 

He looked over at Shiro’s sleeping form, and tried to harden his resolve. They would get out of this. They just had to hold on a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this count as a cliff hanger oof
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated and encouraged :)
> 
> Check me out on [Tumblr](https://shirocomplex.tumblr.com/)!


	3. There's a place where we'll stand outnumbered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [See end notes for additional warnings for this chapter.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24727798/chapters/60018148/#chapter_3_endnotes)

It had only been a few hours, by Hunk’s estimation, when Shiro woke suddenly, bolting upright. Hunk jumped, then hissed as it jostled his leg. But the pain was secondary to his alarm as Shiro whipped his head around with wide eyes.

"Shiro...?" Hunk said tentatively. Shiro turned to him sharply, and Hunk saw how his face was flushed, white bangs stuck haphazardly to his forehead.

For a moment, Shiro simply stared at him, unmoving. Hunk could only watch, realizing that Shiro _didn't recognize him_.

Finally, Shiro blinked, though his eyes were still glazed. "Hunk...?"

Despite the situation, Hunk felt a small rush of relief. "Yeah, dude. Are you..." Belatedly, Hunk realized asking Shiro if he was okay was stupid. So instead, he followed up with, "Are you feeling any better?"

That was almost as stupid.

Shiro didn't answer at first, staring at Hunk but not quite _seeing_ him. It was eerie. But after a tense moment, he blinked again, seeming to come back to himself. Hunk wanted to chalk it up to only having slept for a few hours, but he knew better.

Instead of waiting for an answer, Hunk beckoned him over. "Let me check your temperature." He was amazed that his voice was so steady, considering the fear taking root in his chest. 

Luckily, Shiro wasn't that far away; all he needed to do was scoot over a few feet, and Hunk was able to place a shaking hand to his forehead.

Burning. Worse than before.

It must have been written on his face, because Shiro frowned, considering. Hunk took the moment of silence to study Shiro's face, now that he was closer. The fever flush on his cheeks had only deepened after sleeping, and there was a faint sheen of sweat across his forehead. Hunk was almost afraid of checking the cauterized gash.

Shiro let out a shaking breath. "Hunk," he said slowly, voice just a bit raspy. "Listen. The water source—it's north of the crash. It’s a river, not very loud, so you need to go to the crash site and keep heading north until you find it. Got it?"

Hunk understood immediately what he was doing. "Yeah, but—"

" _No,_ " Shiro cut him off sharply, and Hunk's mouth snapped shut at his urgent tone. "You need to know where it is. You need to get yourself there if..." He trailed off, pressing a hand to his injured side. Wincing at the touch, he looked intensely at Hunk, urgency clear in his expression. "It doesn't matter if you have to crawl the entire way. Just _get yourself there_."

The ever present anxiety in Hunk's stomach was rioting at the implication in Shiro's words. Get to the water source once Shiro was no longer around. It made Hunk want to burst into tears. Before he could get far, though, Shiro spoke. "Now repeat the directions back to me."

It took five rounds of Hunk rattling off the directions before Shiro was satisfied. Hunk watched as Shiro slumped against his tree, still close enough to see the dark flush across his cheeks. It looked like that bit of exertion had worn him out, and Hunk couldn't help but notice he was shivering slightly.

God, this was so not good.

Hunk bit his lip, blinking quickly to hold back the tears. Was there really nothing he could do? Did he really just have to sit here and _watch_ as Shiro got worse and worse?

"We need to activate the beacon," Hunk finally said, voice wavering just a bit. "The others—"

"No!" Shiro practically yelled, turning to face Hunk again. "The Galra will find us here, and I can't..." Shiro looked away, as if he was ashamed. "I can't protect us like this. Just hold out a little longer, let the others find us first. We'll wait until we know they're close."

"But how will we _know_ that?!" Hunk cried, the frustration and stress welling up inside him.

 _Too much._ It was all too much.

"We need...to trust them," Shiro said, slumping farther against the tree. He shut his eyes, his breathing becoming increasingly more labored.

"But..." Hunk had to set the guilt aside, for the moment. "We need them to find us. Like...immediately."

"We can hold out until—"

"By then you'll be dead!" Hunk all but yelled, a tear finally escaping to track down his face. Shiro was looking at him again, but Hunk couldn't bring himself to care. "The infection is spreading, Shiro. You know that. There's nothing we can do here!" There's nothing _Hunk_ had been able to do. And now Shiro was going to die, right here in front of him on some random, fucked up Galra planet.

Shiro thumped his head against the tree. "I know it's frightening," he said softly, "but you said you don't know the range of this thing. It's better to wait for them to find us, rather than invite the Galra here."

Hunk wanted to argue, but Shiro started to cough, the sound harsh and dry. Hunk's frustrations evaporated at the sound.

"Well,” Hunk said, trying his hand at being authoritative, “in the meantime, you need to drink something. And eat, too."

Shiro groaned a bit at the mention of food, even though it made him cough again. "We should...probably ration the water, at this point."

Hunk knew that was a smart move—it wasn't like either of them would be getting to the river at this point—but he didn't like it. But he really didn't want to argue anymore.

Shiro managed to retrieve the water pouch with only minimal difficulty, though his movements were slow and clumsy. It was clear he was feeling the fever more than he let on. Hunk watched with his stomach still churning, the anxiety eating a hole through him like acid. Shiro sat back down next to him without any of his usual grace, holding out a ration packet for Hunk in a slightly shaking hand. Hunk took it silently, watching as Shiro drank a few mouthfuls from the pouch before passing that on, too.

They sat in silence, Hunk trying to keep one eye on Shiro without being too obvious. He watched as Shiro managed to choke down a few bites of the rations before setting it aside, wisely not offering it to Hunk this time. But Hunk didn't push it; he knew that was the best he was going to get.

He finished his own packet quickly enough, taking one more quick drink of water from the pouch. They had a little bit less than half left.

It would have to do.

Hunk watched as Shiro hunched in on himself, clearly uncomfortable. God, Hunk was so far out of his depth it wasn't even funny.

"Maybe you should try to sleep some more?" Hunk said hesitantly. The first aid courses he'd received at the Garrison were rudimentary, but even he knew that Shiro's situation was growing more dire by the minute. There wasn't much else to do at this point, other than try to keep his strength up.

Shiro just nodded, not saying anything. That frightened Hunk more than anything: that Shiro would relent to a request for _sleep_ so easily. Crawling over to be closer to the dwindling fire, Shiro stretched out on his uninjured side, curling up a bit.

It didn't take long for Shiro to lapse into an uneasy sleep, his breathing still sounding labored. Hunk rubbed a hand across his face, suddenly feeling so, so tired. It was all happening so fast, and Shiro was clearly fading. But Hunk didn't know what else to do. He needed to help Shiro, needed to be the one in control, but he _didn't know what to do_.

At that moment, Hunk had a revelation: was this how Shiro felt all the time? The weight of responsibility for another life was absolutely crushing, and this was just Hunk needing to care for one other person. Shiro carried the weight of the entire team, at all times. He was the one who made the plan, who adjusted that plan on the fly when it inevitably all went to shit, who got them all out alive time and time again. Is this what it felt like? This horrible weight on Hunk's chest, the need to protect without having a single clue as to how?

Shiro was the Black Paladin, the head of Voltron, the _leader_. He kept them all together, kept them from being killed on a daily basis. It was like his heart was surrounded by lead.

Is this what Shiro did every single day?

Hunk turned the idea around in his mind, eventually falling into a weird, half awake doze. He didn't dream, not really, but the odd twilight lighting gave his half conscious thoughts a dark tinge that he didn't like.

An indeterminable amount of time passed—it was hard to tell when the light didn't really change until well past dusk. But eventually, Hunk was startled awake by the unmistakable sound of someone retching.

Blinking quickly, Hunk looked around, realizing that Shiro was gone. Not too far away, though; Hunk could barely make out his kneeling form on the outskirts of their makeshift little camp, just beyond the light of the fire.

Alarm bells went off in Hunk's head, and his half conscious body made to stand, only to fall back with a bitten off cry as the pain in his leg burned.

Broken leg. _Ugh_. Hunk dug his hand into the meat of his thigh as the pain spiked, gritting his teeth. It soon faded back to the same background pain, though it was a little stronger than before now that he had aggravated it. Hunk's back was starting to hurt again too, from being in the same position for so long.

Hunk let out a quiet groan, looking over to where Shiro was still kneeling by the bushes. He stayed there for an alarmingly long time before getting to his feet and slowly making his way back. He was even more unsteady on his feet than before, swaying slightly with a hand wrapped around his stomach. As he stepped into the light of the fire, Hunk saw how there was still a dark flush across his cheeks, which stood out in stark contrast to the sickly gray complexion the rest of his face had taken on. Hunk recognized the look of someone who had just puked up their dinner, and the anxiety returned to drown out the pain of his leg.

Shiro put a hand on the giant tree, using it to slide back down to the ground. The meager light above the trees was fading again, signaling the start of their second night on this godforsaken planet.

"I should look at your wound again before it gets too dark," Hunk said, though it came out as more of a question. Shiro nodded once, a short, jerky movement, before scooting over closer to Hunk. It was clear that he wasn't really processing what Hunk was saying, his body simply following Hunk's order.

It looked like he was having a hard time staying upright. Hunk reached out for the bandage, terrified of what he knew was underneath it.

It was hard to tell with just the dying light of both the sun and the fire, but it was worse than Hunk had feared. The jagged cut was puffy, nearly bulging from the skin around where Shiro had sealed it shut. It was red all around it, inflamed and warm to the touch. But the red streaks had crawled up Shiro's side and down his hip, angry and dark and easy to see against Shiro's ashen skin.

Shiro was shaking, and Hunk had to put a hand against his chest as he started to sag forward. "S-sorry," Shiro muttered, eyes fluttering shut. "S'my turn for watch?"

Hunk swallowed his fear. Now wasn't the time to break down, no matter how much he wanted to. "Not yet," he managed to say semi-convincingly. He maneuvered Shiro so he was more or less leaning against the tree, hoping he could stay upright long enough for Hunk to get the wrappings tied. "I'll wake you when it's your turn, so you can just go back to sleep, okay? Just let me finish redoing your bandages."

"Bandages...?" Shiro slurred. He turned his head to look down at Hunk's hands. "Wha'happened?"

Delirious. Not good.

"Nothing," Hunk said, hearing the tremble in his voice. "Just a scratch. Don't worry."

"Kay," Shiro agreed easily. Hunk tied up the bandage as quickly as his shaking hands would allow.

By the time Hunk was done, it looked like Shiro was ready to pass out right then and there. But he was still shivering, and it didn't look like a comfortable place to fall asleep.

"Maybe you should lie down?" Hunk asked uncertainly. He would have helped Shiro himself, if only he could have moved without screaming in pain. That definitely made it difficult.

Shiro nodded, pushing himself far enough from the tree to curl up next to Hunk, still shivering. Hunk reached a hand out, placing the back of it on Shiro's forehead under his bangs. Burning, worse than before.

The fire was still putting off some heat, but it had died down enough that it could barely be felt from where they were sitting. Hunk would have encouraged Shiro to move closer, but he wasn't confident that Shiro could even move that far on his own.

It wasn't a good thought.

It didn't take long before Shiro slipped into another uneasy doze, body still shaking. Hunk watched him, heart in his throat. He was deteriorating so quickly. Hunk felt sick with fear.

Hunk glanced around their makeshift camp, and his eyes landed on the device hooked up to his helmet. He reached out, bringing it onto his lap carefully. He knew Shiro didn't want him to activate it, not yet, but Hunk knew they couldn't wait any longer. Still, he hesitated; what if doing this brought the Galra on them before the others could find them? Then all of this would have been for nothing. The others would only find their bodies. 

Assuming they even found them before the komar had reduced the entire planet to dust.

Hunk bit his lip, scared of making the wrong decision. What if he got them both killed because he couldn't handle this?

But Shiro made a pained sound just then, like a whimper, and Hunk knew they couldn't wait any longer. With new resolve, Hunk flipped the switch.

A soft red light started pulsing from both the blackened Galra device in his hand and the helmet attached to it on the ground. This was it: either the others found them, or the Galra did. Either way, this would be over soon.

The idea of dying scared Hunk, of course it did. But the knowledge that this nightmare would be over soon still flooded him with a strange sense of relief. He had to have faith in the others, that they would find them in time.

Looking over at Shiro, he saw how he was curled in on himself, brow furrowed even in sleep. The flush across his cheeks and nose was still easy to spot, even as the light got lower. A hand rested over his injured side, as if unconsciously protecting it. Hunk's heart hurt.

Shaking his head, he looked out over the fire, to where its dying light still threw shadows into the depths of the forest beyond. Summoning his bayard, Hunk rested it across his lap, careful to point it away from Shiro and to keep the weight of it off of his injured leg. It was up to him, now, to protect them both. Shiro had done his job—done more than his job, really, in keeping them both alive. He watched over them, he made sure Hunk was safe, even at the risk of his own life.

He'd been doing it ever since they met, really.

It was Hunk's turn now. He'd protect them both, no matter what.

The anxiety still swirled in his stomach, mixing with the stress and fear and frustration to create a noxious concoction inside of him. But this was Hunk's job now: to protect them. To protect Shiro.

So he swallowed it all down, willed the shaking in his hands to stop, and settled in for a very long night.

Hunk still found it weird that this planet was nearly silent at all times. He would have assumed that a planet pumped full of quintessence would have created some incredibly massive creatures, the same as it created the enormous fauna, but there were none. Save for the quiet movement of the trees, there was almost never any other sound. No birds chirping, no insects scuttling, _nothing_. It was like the planet was holding its breath, just waiting to be harvested by the Galra.

So when the sound of footsteps rustling through the forest came, it was obvious what it meant.

They'd been found.

Hunk tightened his grip on his bayard, silently praying for it to be Allura and the others. His eyes flickered over to where his homemade beacon was still blinking, the red light pulsing in the otherwise dark night. The fire had died out, and Hunk had let it. The last thing they needed was to be spotted so easily.

The footsteps grew louder, and Hunk willed his breathing to settle down. His heart was hammering so hard in his chest, it felt like thunder in his ears. Surely that alone would signal anyone in the area of their position.

Next to him, still close enough to touch, Shiro shifted slightly in his fitful sleep. Hunk watched him for a moment, knowing it was foolish to take his eyes off his surroundings. But he couldn't help it; Shiro had been making those small, soft noises of distress all night, and Hunk would have done anything to ease his pain.

Hunk could just barely make out Shiro's shivering form, and he whimpered again as he tried to curl up farther. This one was just a little bit louder than the others, and Hunk couldn't take it anymore.

Resting his bayard off to the side, he leaned over as far as he could without jostling his leg too much. He was only partially successful, but it didn't matter. Hunk reached as far as he could, gathering Shiro's shaking form in his arms. It was a little awkward, but he managed to have Shiro's upper body in his lap against his chest, with his injured side facing outwards. Shiro was surprisingly pliable during the transition, with only a quiet murmur of protest. But now that he was against another person, he seemed to relax. It couldn’t have been all that comfortable, with both sets of armor in the way, but it didn’t seem to matter much. Hunk ran a hand through Shiro's sweaty bangs, the heat of his fever searing even through Hunk’s gloves.

Shiro burrowed into Hunk's chest, and Hunk wrapped an arm around him protectively.

With his free hand, he picked his bayard back up, resting it on his thigh, his other arm still wrapped around Shiro. He belatedly realized it might make it near impossible to fire the heavy gun like this, but it was too late now. He just couldn't listen to Shiro in pain any longer.

More footsteps now—but heavy this time, and distinctly mechanical. And close. Very, very close. Hunk thought he was going to be sick.

He shifted Shiro so he was a little lower down his chest, bringing the arm that was holding him around to grip the other side of the bayard. He could only hope the recoil wouldn't hit Shiro.

His grip was white knuckled as he waited, breathing going shallow. Gritting his teeth, he absently felt the tears trail down his cheeks. He didn't bother wiping them away.

This was it.

When the first sentry stepped through the tree line, Hunk fired without thinking.

The volley tore into it, leaving it a smoking pile. Hunk didn't let up, the bright yellow light from the blasts lighting up the forest in short bursts. He fired in the general direction of the first sentry, feeling viciously happy when he heard the distinct sounds of gunfire hitting metal in the darkness.

Now that he was looking, he saw the eerie purple light from the sentries light up all around him as they closed in. Swinging around as much as his awkward positioning could, he kept firing, demolishing the approaching line of Galra machines. But they were endless, and Hunk's arms were soon shaking from the exertion. Holding his bayard like this—one arm still wrapped loosely around Shiro's limp form, holding it far enough away from their bodies that it wouldn't hurt Shiro in the recoil—was exhausting.

But Hunk would die before he let the Galra take them. Before he would let them take Shiro, who was shaking and vulnerable in his arms.

He wasn't Keith, or Lance, or Pidge. They would have gotten them out of there by now; Pidge would have created something to contact the others without alerting the Galra. Lance would have sniped each of these sentries before they could even get close. And Keith—Keith would have been right in the fray, taking on the entire Empire here in this dark forest if needed.

It was more of Shiro's rotten luck that he got stuck here with Hunk, of all people. Hunk, who could barely move, who had only dragged them down. But right here, right now, he would lay down his life if he had to. It wasn’t much, but he would keep the Galra from taking them. He would protect them.

He would—

Hunk cried out in pain as a shot hit his hand, knocking his bayard out of his grasp. It skidded away into the darkness, reverting to its handheld form, light still pulsing weakly. Hunk went to call it back to him when a voice spoke up. "Don't even think about it."

Looking up, Hunk saw how at least six sentries were pointing their weapons at the pair of them on the ground, the lights casting eerie shadows across around them. In the middle was a Galra, probably a commander, whose gun was trained directly at Hunk.

"We've been looking for you two," he said smugly. "How gracious of you to send us a signal. It made it so much easier."

He stepped forward, never lowering his weapon, his yellow eyes seeming to shine even brighter in the darkness. There was absolutely no way for Hunk to get his bayard back and activate it before he was turned into Swiss cheese. He tightened his arms around Shiro instead, pulling him in as close their armor allowed. Shiro's breathing was shallow, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He muttered something into Hunk's chest, clutching at his armor weakly. Hunk blinked rapidly, sending more tears down his cheeks.

"I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed," the Galra continued, stopping just short of Hunk's outstretched leg. "The famous Paladins of Voltron, so easily defeated. The same Paladins even Lord Zarkon is so desperate to defeat."

"Fuck you," Hunk spat out, voice shaking.

In response, the Galra lifted his foot and brought it down on Hunk's injured leg. Hunk _howled_ in pain, throwing his head back against the tree. In his arms, Shiro stirred, as if trying to find the source of Hunk's distress. Hunk instinctively held him closer, trying not to squeeze too hard as the pain ripped through him.

"As I was saying," the Galra continued, ignoring Hunk's screams as he continued to apply pressure to his leg, "disappointing. But I suspect we'll be handsomely rewarded for returning Lord Zarkon's escaped Champion, though he really doesn't look like much."

Pointing his weapon at Hunk's head, the Galra cracked a cruel smile. "But I don't think we'll be needing _you_."

Hunk looked up at the words. The sight of the gun in his face, shimmering through a haze of tears, would be the last thing he saw. Instead, he looked down at Shiro, who had gone still in his arms. He curled himself around him, realizing how he'd failed them both.

 _I'm sorry_ , he wanted to say as he waited for the gun to fire on him. But instead, he heard a sharp cry.

Whipping his head up, Hunk's eyes went wide as he saw a red blade sticking out of the Galra's chest.

For a moment, time stood still. The gun was still pointed at Hunk's head, though the Galra's eyes were wide and unseeing. Then the blade was yanked out, and the Galra fell face first into the dirt, the gun skidding away.

Standing behind him, bloody sword in hand, was Keith.

Hunk blinked rapidly, not fully believing the sight in front of him. But before he could say anything, Keith was turning away, sprinting towards the sentries whose weapons were now turned on him.

Still in disbelief, Hunk watched as Keith cut them down without mercy. But he was outnumbered, and could only take so many at once.

Gently loosening his hold on Shiro, Hunk called his bayard back, shifting it to its gun form. Just as he started to take aim, he heard a sound.

The downed Galra was somehow still alive, pulling himself across the dirt to his fallen weapon. Without thinking, Hunk turned his gun on him and fired.

His bayard wasn't meant for close quarters combat; it was almost too powerful up close. The shot tore through the Galra's head, blowing off most of it. His body shuddered once before finally going still.

Hunk was panting, bordering on the edge of hyperventilating. He'd never killed someone before. Sure, he knew every Galra ship they destroyed had hundreds of living crew members on board, but he'd never seen it up close. It had never truly registered in Hunk's mind.

The sound of Keith slashing through another sentry yanked Hunk back to the present, away from his approaching panic attack. He tried to level his gun at the other sentries, the ones aiming for Keith's unprotected back, but his arms were shaking, and tears were distorting his vision again.

Luckily, it seemed he didn't have to.

The sentries behind Keith were being picked off one by one in explosions of blue light. Soon enough, the remaining sentries had been dispatched, with Keith standing amidst the debris.

Keith barely spared the wreckage a glance before sprinting over to where Hunk sat, Shiro still in his arms. Skidding to a stop, Keith dropped to his knees beside Hunk, wide eyes flickering between the two. The early morning light was starting to make its way through the dense foliage, and Hunk could just barely make out the frenzied expression on Keith's face.

"Hunk? Shiro? Are you guys ok?" Keith took in the sight of them, and Hunk could only imagine what they looked like: Shiro, curled up in Hunk's arms, his bandaged side barely hiding the inflamed skin of his wound; Hunk, his broken leg outstretched in front of them, with wild eyes and fresh tear tracks on his face.

But Hunk didn't have time to be embarrassed. "Keith, you need to get Shiro out of here."

This got Keith's complete attention. He looked down at Shiro, who was unmoving in Hunk's arms. Keith reached out, cupping Shiro's face gently. He didn't wake, but Hunk was relieved to see that he was still breathing.

"Shiro...?" Keith said softly, eyes darting all over before settling on Shiro’s wounded side.

"Keith!" Hunk yelled, exhaustion and panic getting the best of him. "Shiro's hurt. It's bad." He saw how Keith's expression changed from _concerned_ to _scared_ in a heartbeat at his words. "You need to get Lance, or Allura, or whoever, and _get Shiro out of here!_ He needs to get back to the Castle, like, yesterday!"

This seemed to snap Keith out of his trance, and he nodded, though Hunk still saw the fear in his eyes. Keith looked over his shoulder, where Hunk could just make out the lights from another set of Paladin armor. "Lance!"

Lance stepped out of the tree line, his bayard still half raised.

Keith beckoned him over. "We need to get Shiro to Red."

Lance let his bayard recede back into his suit in a flash of light, quickly making his way over, eyes locked on Hunk. "Hey, buddy. You alright?"

Normally, Hunk would have appreciated Lance's concern. But not right now. Not when they needed to get Shiro into a healing pod. Assuming a healing pod would even work for this—

No. They were so close. Now wasn't the time.

"Don't worry about me," Hunk said quickly, moving his arms from where they were still wrapped around Shiro's unmoving form. "Shiro's hurt really bad. You need to get him out of here before it's too late."

Lance's eyes zeroed in on the bandages wrapped around Shiro's side, and he sucked in a sharp breath at the sight. "Alright. Keith and I will take him and come back for you, okay?"

"Yes! Fine! Just _go!_ " Hunk managed to maneuver Shiro so Lance and Keith could each grab one of his arms, hooking them around their shoulders. Hunk watched as they half walked, half dragged Shiro out of his line of sight, and before he knew it, he was alone.

After the intensity of the battle, the silence was almost oppressive. The light from the sun Hunk had never quite seen was climbing in the sky, weakly filtering into the small clearing. It allowed Hunk to see the mess it had become: bits of sentinels sprinkled across the dirt, some of them still sparking. The campfire had been completely destroyed in the fight, the logs and ash scattered so badly Hunk might not have even realized there had been a fire there.

The adrenaline rush hadn't quite faded yet, his heart still pounding a bruise in his chest. His harsh breathing was the only sound in the forest.

Taking in the scene, Hunk let his eyes wander, still not quite believing they'd been rescued. That Shiro was on his way to the Castle, hopefully in time. Oh god, what if they had been too late? What if Hunk's efforts to keep Shiro alive had all been in vain?

Before he could descend fully into that train of thought, his wandering eyes caught sight of the Galra, whose body was still lying in the dirt in front of him.

The one Hunk had shot.

The one Hunk had _killed_.

Despite the weak light, Hunk could easily see the gory scene in front of him. He turned away quickly, practically dragging himself from the scene. The pain in his leg flared anew, but it was drowned out by the wave of horror crashing over him. Squeezing his eyes shut, he pressed a hand tightly to his mouth as the nausea surged. A few tears trailed down his cheeks as he tried to move from the pool of blood that was steadily seeping toward him.

He had only dragged himself a few inches away when a pair of hands rested on his shoulders. With a cry, Hunk lashed out, still trying to get away.

"Whoa, hey buddy, it's only me," came a familiar voice. "You're gonna be okay, alright? Just relax, it'll be over soon. Just calm down, okay?"

Opening his eyes, Hunk saw Lance's pale face only a few inches from his own, kneeling on the ground in front of him. He seemed to be taking in Hunk's ragged appearance with alarm, but he was clearly trying to keep his expression neutral. "L-Lance?"

Lance smiled, relieved. "Yeah, man. It's me."

"But what—Shiro?" Hunk asked urgently, coherent sentences an impossibility at this point.

But Lance just nodded, hands squeezing just a tad on his shoulders. "Shiro's gonna be fine. Don't worry."

Despite his placations, Hunk still felt the hot pool of fear in his gut. Shiro had been hurt so badly; he needed to _know_.

It must have shown on his face, because Lance laughed, but it was a little too frantic to be soothing. "Come on, dude. It's _Keith_. You really think anything would happen to Shiro on his watch?" Lance lifted a hand, wiping a stray tear from Hunk's face. "Not in a million years."

This finally got through to Hunk's adrenaline-soaked brain, and he felt his shoulders slump.

"They'll be coming back to pick us up soon," Lance continued. "It's a bit of a mess out there, since the Galra are still around, so they might take a few minutes. But we'll be out of here in no time."

Hunk could feel himself shaking a bit. "You—you came back? For me?"

Lance smiled, softer this time. "Of course I did. I wouldn't leave you here all alone."

All alone. That's what Hunk thought he was going to be. Every time Shiro went out to gather supplies, he could only imagine the worst case scenario where he didn't come back. Then, when Shiro only got worse, Hunk had thought that was the end. That he would hold Shiro as he died, and be alone on this freak of a planet until he was taken by the Galra, at best.

But now, with Lance solid and familiar and _real_ in front of him, Hunk's brain finally registered what it all meant.

It was going to be okay. They were saved. It was over.

The tears came again, but stronger this time, the sheer _relief_ of it all becoming too much. Lance pulled him in as he broke down, staying uncharacteristically silent as Hunk sobbed in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for: descriptions of infected wound, brief mentions of vomit, (violent) death of a minor character
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated and encouraged :)
> 
> Check me out on [Tumblr](https://shirocomplex.tumblr.com/)!


	4. There's a moment that changes a life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the feel good, talk-about-your-feelings chapter...because I love that shit.

_Cold_.

That was the first thing Hunk registers as he slowly woke. It felt like a layer of frost had formed over him, but surprisingly, it wasn't unpleasant. It was almost numbing, rather than painful.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, seeing the others crowded around him through a glass pane.

The glass faded suddenly, and Hunk stumbled out, only to be met by the waiting arms of Lance and Keith.

"Hey, man," Lance said, smiling softly. "How are you feeling?"

Keith was looking him over as well, helping him stand. After a moment, the fog from the pod began to lift, and Hunk blinked as he took stood up straighter.

Before he could answer, though, he was knocked back a few steps when a small body ran into him, throwing their arms around him. Looking down, he saw Pidge hugging him tightly, her face buried in his chest.

Raising her head without letting go, Pidge shot him an angry look, though it was a little too watery to be threatening. "Don't ever do that to us again!"

Bringing his arms around her, Hunk smiled back. "Sorry," he said, voice a little rough. "I don't plan on it, trust me."

Pidge sniffed, muttering a soft _"Good"_ before stepping back. Next was Lance, who didn't give him a chance to recover before wrapping him in a somewhat gentler hug. "We're really glad you're ok, Hunk," he said softly, words trembling just a bit.

Beside him, Keith put a hand on his shoulder. Looking over, Hunk met Keith's eyes, who just nodded in agreement.

Behind Lance, Coran and Allura were watching the scene, smiling softly. Feeling overcome with emotion, Hunk just wrapped his arms around Lance, feeling so immensely grateful. Not only for being able to stand on his leg without screaming, but for being alive at all. For surviving that awful experience with—

Hunk jolted suddenly, whipping his head around. "Wait," he said, urgency threaded through his voice. He dropped his arms from Lance, who took a hesitant step back, looking at him with concern. "Wait, where's Shiro?"

At that, Coran stepped forward. "Not to worry, number two! Shiro's going to be just fine." He motioned with a gloved hand towards another healing pod off to the left, where it had been out of Hunk's sight. Turning, Hunk took a few steps forward until he was in front of it.

Shiro looked like he was sleeping, and even through the weird blue tinted glass of the pod, Hunk could see how the colour in his face was already looking better. The pale suit they wore into the pods covered the injury, but Hunk vividly remembered how horrific it was, the skin red and angry around the jagged, cauterized gash.

"How long...?" Hunk let himself trail off, consumed by the need to know that Shiro would be ok.

"Ah, you were only in the pod for a few vargas." Coran came up beside him, looking up at Shiro's unmoving form. "It doesn't take too long to heal a broken bone, luckily! Shiro's injury was a bit more substantial, I'm afraid. That was quite the nasty infection." He turned to Hunk, crossing his arms and letting out a long breath, ruffling his moustache. "It was touch and go at first, but he's going to be fine. He'll just need a bit longer in there."

Hunk's shoulders slumped at the news. Thank god.

"How much longer?" It was Keith who spoke up this time, coming up behind them. Now that he was looking, Hunk noticed the dark circles under his eyes, the tiredness exuding from him. Had he not slept since they got back?

"Another of quintant or so, by my estimation." Coran ran a thoughtful hand over his moustache, frowning slightly. "Cauterizing a wound like that was risky. But a good decision in the end, I suppose."

Hunk turned back towards Shiro, who looked a lot more peaceful compared to the first time they'd put him in a pod. He really hoped it stayed that way; Shiro deserved some actual _rest_ , especially after everything that had happened.

"So...what happened out there?" Lance asked, voice going soft. "We tried to contact you after the hyperjump, but..."

He trailed off, clearly waiting for Hunk to fill in the gaps. Hunk knew it was important, knew that he needed to tell them what he found, but the leftover exhaustion from the pod was weighing on him. The thought of having to relive the experience was unappealing, to say the least.

Finally, Allura spoke up. "Perhaps we should let Hunk rest first." She made her way over to them, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "You must be exhausted. It can wait until you've had time to recover."

Hunk sagged in relief. The last thing he wanted to do was recount his time with Shiro before being able to sort through it in his mind. It was all a tangled mess of _pain-stress-fearfearfear_ that he simply did not have the energy to deal with.

"In fact," Allura continued, "perhaps we should _all_ get some rest. I don't think any of us have had more than a few vargas sleep since this all began."

Lance sighed, though he sent Hunk another smile. Putting a gentle hand on his arm, Lance pulled him gently toward the door. "That sounds like a really good idea."

With one last look back at Shiro's sleeping form, Hunk followed.

* * *

It didn’t take long for Hunk’s anxiety to get the best of him.

Despite his intention to sleep for a week, he found himself startling awake only a few hours after Lance had dropped him off at his room. His dreams had been filled with the dark green leaves of the forest, complete with the strange shadows cast by the fire and bright yellow eyes. He couldn’t remember any of the details, though by the way his heart was hammering, maybe that was a good thing.

He still managed to feel more rested than he had in days; a few solid hours of sleep had managed to shake the weird, icky feeling the pod had left him with.

And so, after giving a full recount to the others about what happened—trying to ignore the growing aura of horror that was filling the room as he spoke—he did the only thing he knew how to when faced with an unbearable amount of stress: cook.

The amount of ingredients they had that Hunk was even remotely familiar with were always limited, but he relished in the feeling of creating something new from the unknown. It was almost _more_ exciting to cook here, on a ten-thousand-year-old spaceship, using foods that he could never have dreamed existed. Being able to create _anything_ the others could eat was a downright miracle, in his book.

Somehow, despite not really having butter or proper Earth noodles, Hunk had managed to scrape together something that resembled mac and cheese. One of the galaxy’s most important comfort foods.

As soon as Hunk set it aside, though, he felt the anxiety in his stomach spike again. Really, it hadn’t ever completely gone away—not since they landed on that Galra ship, all those days ago. Hunk knew it wouldn’t completely leave him until Shiro was awake.

The weirdness of being _worried_ for Shiro still hadn’t fully faded; after all, Shiro was the most capable of all of them. Hunk still knew that. If anything, his recent experience with him only confirmed it.

Before he knew it, Hunk found himself standing in the doorway of the room with the pods. Unsurprisingly, Keith was there, standing in front of Shiro’s pod with his arms crossed tightly. Hunk felt a sudden wave of guilt at the sight, like he shouldn’t be trespassing on this moment. Especially when most of the blame for Shiro being in that pod laid with Hunk.

Hunk didn’t know how much longer Shiro had to go, but it couldn’t have been long. Especially when he heard someone come up behind him. “You know you can go in, right?”

Sighing, Hunk didn’t turn as Lance came to stand next to him. “I know, but…”

There was silence for a moment as Lance waited for him to continue, but Hunk couldn’t give a name to the complex swirl of emotions inside him. Did he really have a right to stand there, to be worried for Shiro, when so much of this was his fault?

“You can’t blame yourself, y’know.”

Hunk nearly jumped at the words, as if Lance had been reading his mind. Turning his head, he saw Lance giving him a small, sad smile. “I know how you think. And it’s not true.”

Hunk wrapped his arms around himself, looking back towards where Keith stood. The anxiety was back in full force.

“I thought he was gonna die in my arms,” Hunk said softly. Lance made a quiet, shocked noise, but Hunk didn’t want to face him. Didn’t want to see whatever horrified expression Lance was wearing. “I kept thinking how unlucky it was for him to crash with _me_ , of all people. I was so useless. He was going to die and I wasn’t able to do _anything_.”

“We both know that isn’t true,” Lance said firmly. Hunk lifted his head at the words. Lance was pale, but his expression was firm. “Aren’t you the one who built that thing that let us find you? If it wasn’t for that, we might not have found you until….”

Lance trailed off, letting the rest hang in the air between them. It wasn’t something Hunk wanted to think about anymore. The guilt was becoming too much.

Luckily, the tense moment was broken when Pidge walked up behind them. “What are we all doing by the door?”

Lance turned to say something, but just then, the telltale _hiss_ of the pod door opening rang through the room.

They all turned to see the glass in front of the pod fade, and Shiro took a stumbling step forward. Keith was there before he could get far, catching him before he fell.

Pidge yelled happily, pushing past Lance and Hunk to run into the room. As Keith was helping Shiro stay upright, Pidge threw her arms around him, making him stumble again. Keith tried to look annoyed, but the sheer relief on his face made it almost impossible.

“You _idiot!_ ” Pidge exclaimed, voice muffled from where her face was buried in Shiro’s chest. “You _know_ cauterizing a wound without cleaning it at all is just _asking_ for infection, right? Matt told me you passed first aid!”

Chuckling softly, Shiro wrapped his arms around her loosely. “Well, in my defense, the options were that or bleeding to death.”

She looked up at him at that, smacking his arm. “That’s not funny!”

Shiro’s expression softened, and he released her to rub an affectionate hand through her hair. “I know, I know. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Through the exchange, Keith had kept one hand on Shiro’s back, vigilant in case he needed help. He moved his hand to rest on Shiro's shoulder. “We’re just...really glad you’re ok, Shiro.” Keith’s voice shook, but he smiled when Shiro looked over.

Placing a hand over Keith’s, Shiro gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thanks for being there when I got out,” he said warmly.

Hunk still hadn’t moved, watching the scene play out from his spot in the doorway. Lance nudged him gently, tilting his head in the direction of the others. “We should join them.”

Something tightened in Hunk’s chest at the thought. “You go on ahead,” he said softly.

Frowning, Lance just shrugged. “You know Shiro would never blame you for what happened, right?”

Shooting him a quick grin, Lance took off, leaving Hunk staring at his back. He would never get over how easily Lance could see through him.

Hunk watched as Lance approached the group, coming to stand by Shiro’s side and saying something that made him laugh. Pidge finally released her grip around Shiro, taking half a step back so Lance could get in for a hug too. They were still talking, but Hunk wasn’t listening anymore. The weight of Lance’s words sat heavy on his chest. Because that’s _exactly_ what he was afraid of. And he couldn’t bear to see the accusation in Shiro’s eyes, especially when he was right.

Suddenly, though, Shiro looked around, eyes darting around the room urgently. “Wait, where’s—”

His question was cut off when he looked up, finally locking eyes with Hunk. He saw as the anxiety drained from Shiro’s face, and then he smiled in clear relief.

Hunk was helpless to resist the pull of Shiro’s smile, and he found himself relinquishing his position by the door to join the rest of them.

“Hunk,” Shiro said, so softly it was almost an exhale. “Are you alright?”

Hunk tried to rearrange his expression into something friendly, or at least neutral. Something that wouldn’t expose the guilt churning inside him. “Yeah, man. I’m good.”

Judging by the look on Shiro’s face, it didn’t quite work. “Are you s—”

“Ah, good to see you up and about, Shiro!”

Hunk turned to see Coran striding into the room, Allura not far behind him. They wore similar expressions of relief, happy to see that Shiro had indeed made a full recovery.

“How are you feeling, Shiro?” Allura asked, coming up to stand beside Hunk.

“Good as new,” Shiro replied easily, giving her a small smile.

Allura nodded, giving him a quick once over. “Hunk informed us of what happened after we lost contact with you. I’m sorry it took us so long to find you.”

Shiro just shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Princess. The important thing is that we’re both ok.”

At that, Shiro shot Hunk another look, who pointedly avoided his eyes.

There was a small sniffle from behind them, and Shiro turned to see Pidge wiping her eyes under her glasses. “It’s _my_ fault you both got hurt,” she said miserably. “I shouldn’t have—”

At this, though, it was Hunk who stepped forward. “Hey, what are you talking about?” He put his hands on his hips, leaning down to get closer to Pidge. There was no way he was letting anyone else take the blame for this shit situation. “If you hadn't left when you did, it would have been all of us stuck on that ship. Not to mention delivering the Green Lion to the Galra. You did the right thing.”

She looked up at Hunk, eyes still red and watery. “But we could have used the Green Lion to escape. I just—I _left_ you there.”

A few tears spilled down her cheeks, but before she could continue, Shiro put a gentle arm around her shoulders, looking down at her with a soft expression. “Hunk’s right, Pidge. You got Keith and Lance out of there. It was your quick work that ensured the mission was a success.

“Besides,” he continued, pulling her in closer, “we’re both fine, see? Nothing bad happened. We’re all ok, and that’s the important thing.”

Pidge stared at him for a moment longer before wrapping her arms around him again. Chuckling softly, Shiro returned the hug, pulling away after a moment. But Hunk noticed with alarm that Shiro was swaying slightly, looking suddenly unsteady.

Keith was back at his side in an instant, noticing the same thing. “Are you alright?” he asked, putting a tentative hand on his back again.

Shiro nodded, closing his eyes and raising his hand to his forehead. “Just feeling a bit lightheaded.”

Allura stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Shiro’s arm. “You may be physically healed, but the cryo-pod process takes much of your own energy. You should rest.”

Shiro opened his mouth to protest, but Keith swiftly cut him off. “She’s right, Shiro. At least lie down for a while.”

Sighing, Shiro’s shoulders slumped. “Alright,” he agreed. Hunk’s eyebrows rose; that didn’t take much.

Hunk watched as Shiro allowed himself to be steered to the door by Keith, with the others trailing behind. Something was pounding in Hunk’s chest, but he didn’t have a name for it. Some kind of twisted mix of relief and guilt and anxiety. It didn’t let up when Shiro looked over his shoulder, locking eyes with Hunk once more, concern written across his face. Hunk tried to offer a reassuring smile, but his chest still felt too tight for it to be convincing.

On his way out, Lance gave Hunk’s shoulder a gentle shove.

Hunk winced, understanding the silent signal. _Go talk to him_. But Hunk knew Shiro would need some space after everyone fussing over him. So while he watched Keith disappear with Shiro, Hunk made his way to his sanctuary.

The mac and cheese from earlier was still in the pot he left it in, and when he lifted the lid, a small trail of steam wafted up from it. The noodles were in weird shapes, almost like a corkscrew, but twisted a bit too tightly. Other than that, it looked passably like something from Earth. Seeing the fruits of his labor—even if it hadn’t been a particularly difficult thing to accomplish—eased some of the tension in Hunk’s chest. This would be a pretty decent dinner.

An idea struck him at the thought. Before he could talk himself out of it, he scooped a portion out into a bowl, placing a lid on top to keep it warm. His feet were taking him down the hall without his brain having much input, and he suddenly found himself standing outside Shiro’s door.

A part of him wondered what he was doing here. But really, that part was less confused about why and more in denial. The tray in his hands was clearly a peace offering, in the hopes that maybe Shiro would forgive him for messing up so badly.

Taking a deep breath, Hunk steeled himself and knocked on the door.

The soft answer of “Come in” didn’t surprise him at all; despite Allura and Keith’s insistence that he sleep, Hunk knew Shiro would still be awake. And so, when the door opened to reveal Shiro sitting up in his bed, reading a datapad, Hunk was hardly surprised.

“Oh.” Shiro looked up, setting the pad aside. “Hunk. What’s up?”

Hunk had built up this moment in his head—the moment where he asked Shiro to forgive him, to make sure he wasn’t angry—but now that he was here, Hunk found he didn’t quite know what to say.

“Um.” Instead, Hunk held out the tray. “I figured you’d probably be hungry.”

Shiro’s eyes lit up at the sight. Hunk felt the anxiety loosen its hold just a little; pleasing people with food had always been one of the best feelings, and not even this toxic swirl of emotions inside him could quell that completely.

Hunk made his way over to Shiro’s bed, placing the tray across his lap carefully. He couldn’t help but feel like a nurse, giving the tray to a sick patient. It would have been cute if that wasn’t almost exactly the case.

Shiro sat up a little straighter, opening the lid of the bowl. His eyes widened at the sight. “Is that…?”

He didn’t finish, staring into the bowl with open awe. Hunk couldn’t help but smile at the sight. “Mac and cheese? Yeah. I hope you like it.”

“If you made it, there’s no question.” Shiro shoveled an almost comically large sporkful of noodles into his mouth, making an obscene sound. “I don’t know how you do it, Hunk. Every time.”

Hunk beamed under the praise, feeling a blush dust his cheeks. Somehow, Shiro’s simple, earnest praise helped loosen the knot in his chest.

He let Shiro continue to eat without interrupting, feeling a little awkward just standing by the bed, but not wanting to leave just yet. As if sensing it, Shiro looked up, blinking at Hunk, but not saying anything.

Sighing, Hunk turned. “I’ll let you get some rest. Just leave the bowl outside the door when you’re done.”

“Wait.”

Hunk looked over his shoulder, seeing Shiro put his half empty bowl aside, leaning forward. “There’s something on your mind, right?”

Wincing at being so transparent, Hunk just sighed again. He turned around, making his way back over and sitting gingerly on Shiro’s bed. Shiro leaned forward, resting his arms on his blanket covered knees, looking at Hunk expectantly, but not pressing. Waiting for Hunk to start.

Hunk made a noise of frustration, clenching his hands into fists where they rested on his thighs. He looked away, down at the floor, unable to meet Shiro’s eyes. “I just…” Hunk faltered, still not sure how to voice the complicated mess inside him.

But Shiro stayed silent, letting Hunk untangle his thoughts.

God, Shiro was just too _good_ for this whole mess.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry,” Hunk said softly. Shiro made a surprised noise, but Hunk didn’t turn to see his face. “It’s my fault we didn’t get out of the ship in time. I wasn’t fast enough. And then, on that planet, you had to spend all that time looking after me. Then you got hurt, and I just—”

His hitching breath cut him off as the emotions inside his chest finally spilled out. It felt like he was cracking from the inside, his heart spilling out for Shiro to see.

“It was _my fault,_ ” Hunk said again, his vision blurring with tears. “I couldn’t do anything, I was so _useless_ , and then…”

He trailed off when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Finally, he raised his head, looking over toward Shiro, who was wearing a painfully shocked expression.

“Hunk,” he said, disbelief plain in his voice. “Please don’t tell me you’ve been blaming yourself all this time.”

Hunk squeezed his eyes shut, turning away and burying his face in his hands. “Of course I was!” he cried, shoulders shaking. “I’m just…I’m so _bad_ at this. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. And you…”

He looked back over, the tears finally spilling over. “You almost died, Shiro. I thought you were going to die.”

Shiro winced, though his hand remained gentle on Hunk’s shoulder. “You shouldn’t have had to go through that, Hunk. You shouldn’t have had to be so scared. But you did everything right.”

Hunk opened his mouth to protest, but Shiro cut him off. “No, Hunk, listen to me: it’s _not your fault_. You should never have been in that situation to begin with. _I_ shouldn’t have put you in that situation. As your commanding officer, I failed you. I'm the reason why they found us on the ship. I didn't get us out in time." The expression on his face was a familiar one. He wore the same guilt Hunk had been seeing in the mirror since they got back.

“So please,” he finished softly, “don’t blame yourself.”

The tears were still slowly trailing down Hunk’s cheeks, even as he digested Shiro’s words. But their meaning refused to make sense. “What?”

Shiro took his hand back, gripping the edge of the blanket. “None of that was your fault, Hunk. You’re the only reason we made it out alive. You made that device that let the others find us, right?”

“Yeah, but it also brought _the Galra!"_

Shiro looked down at where his hands clutched the blanket. “I…I don’t remember much, at the end,” he said quietly. “It must have been terrifying.” He looked up at Hunk again, his expression pained. “I’m so sorry.”

It clicked, then, what Shiro was insinuating. And as the pieces fell into place, Hunk couldn’t help but laugh, the sound a little hysterical.

Shiro frowned, but Hunk couldn’t help it. He wiped the tears from his face, relieved to find they’d stopped. “So we’re both blaming ourselves, is that it? Isn’t that kind of stupid?”

At that, Shiro’s expression cleared, and he chuckled a bit. “I suppose you’re right.”

Hunk turned on the bed so he was facing Shiro full on. “I never blamed you, Shiro.” How could he? How could Hunk ever dream of being angry at Shiro, for sacrificing himself for him?

“So instead of apologizing,” Hunk continued with a small smile, “how about I just say thank you?”

Shiro blinked at him, before his expression relaxed, and he returned the smile. It lit up his face, crinkling his eyes at the edges. “That sounds…nice.”

“Alright then,” Hunk said. “Thank you for saving me, Shiro.”

Shiro finally released his death grip on the edge of the blanket. “Thank you for saving me, Hunk.”

It was like a weight had been lifted from Hunk’s chest, one he had been carrying since the beginning of that fateful mission. It wasn’t just that Shiro didn’t blame him—it was being convinced that the horrible situation really _hadn’t_ been his fault. That he really had done the right thing.

The relief made him feel giddy and impulsive. Without thinking, he surged forward, pulling Shiro into a hug. Shiro made a surprised noise at the sudden contact, but his surprise only lasted for a second before he was wrapping his arms securely around Hunk in return.

“I was lucky to have you with me,” Shiro murmured softly. “You have so much courage in you, Hunk. More than you know.”

Hunk made a soft noise in response, closing his eyes and relishing in the feeling of Shiro, strong and alive. “We’re lucky to have you as our leader, Shiro.”

They stayed like that for a few moments before pulling apart. Hunk expected to feel embarrassed, but instead he just felt…happy. Relieved, and happy.

They continued to talk for a while longer before Hunk took his leave, letting Shiro get some much needed rest.

As Hunk walked back to the kitchen, Shiro’s mostly empty bowl in hand, Hunk turned over the words Shiro had told him.

 _Courage_.

Hunk couldn’t help but smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've made it to the end! This was such a self indulgent story for me--as some of you pointed out, Hunk is SO underappreciated in the show and in the fandom. I was more than happy to give him the spotlight for a while! His and Shiro's dynamic was so fun to write, I really had a blast with this.
> 
> That said, I am overjoyed that so many of you enjoyed this story as well! Thank you for your kudos and comments <3
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and sticking with me to the end! Comments and constructive criticism are, as always, appreciated and encouraged :)
> 
> Check me out on [Tumblr](https://shirocomplex.tumblr.com/)!


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